Lemon Pork Chops

We got our chops from Kellie Brook Farm in New Hampshire. They raise pigs, cows, chickens and turkeys on all-natural, hormone -free diets. The pigs are even fed yogurt, which seems pretty brilliant to me – I could see pigs benefiting from probiotics.

My husband and I have met the owner at the Newburyport Farmer’s Market a few times. I asked one week if they carry liver and he had some for us the following week. So accommodating and nice! That’s one of the wonderful differences between buying meats from a local producer and buying meat from the supermarket – you can actually make special requests and even meet the folks who raise raise the animals.

Anyway, this recipe for pork chops is a pretty simple. The chops are briefly marinated to impart a light flavor of lemon.

Note: Using an accurate instant read thermometer is very helpful when cooking pork, which should always been cooked to at least 160 degrees. Beyond that and the meat can become dry and tough. An instant read can be set to sound an alarm the moment the meat gets to the optimal cooking temperature and can save you the guesswork.

Lemon Pork Chops – serves 2

1/2 C lemon juice (about two lemons)
1/2 C + 2 T olive oil
1/2 t + 1/2 t salt
2 pork chops 3/4 inch thick
1/2 C flour
1 t paprika

Combine lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Place pork chops in a shallow marinating dish. Cover with juice mixture and refrigerate 2 hours, flipping the chops halfway though.

Combine flour, salt and paprika in a shallow bowl. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture, dust off excess and allow to rest for a moment in a separate dish. This allows moisture to soak into the flour and gluten to form, creating a light breading.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high until the oil shimmers and smokes (sounds so fancy!). Place the chops in te pan and brown 2 minutes on either side. Lower heat to medium low and cook 10 minutes on either side until the internal temperature reaches 160 – be sure to take the temperature away from any bones in the meat, because the bone are hotter than the meat as it cooks and you get an inaccurate reading.

Top with a little additional lemon, if desired. I recommend serving with a vegetable on the sweet side to complement the pork chop’s savory. In this case we had sweet potato and a light salad of Boston lettuce.

Ingredient origins: Lemons – California, Olive oil – Italy, Sea salt – Maine; Pork Chops – New Hampshire; Flour – Vermont, Paprika – unknown.