“Southern Style” Pork Chops
This is a recipe my Mom made for my family a lot growing up, and is one of my favorite “comfort foods” to cook. It’s relatively quick and easy, looks more impressive than it is, and leaves you feeling full.
I was feeling stir crazy during Coronavirus Quarantine on March 22, 2020, and I posted a silly Instagram video series of me cooking these. I woke up to a dozen people asking me for a “proper” recipe, so here’s the best I could do.
Ingredients:
• 2 Pork Loins, ~1 inch / 3 cm thick, Boneless. I typically try to buy ones with a fat cap, as they come out more tender
• Can of Tomato Soup. Usually just use Campbell’s condensed Tomato, but last night used Amy’s Cream of Tomato, and the sauce was a bit smoother and less acidic
• Can of Creamed Corn
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Seasonings (Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Paprika, sometimes Red Chili Pepper, whatever you like)
• Olive Oil
• 4 medium-sized potatoes (I think they’re usually 300g or so)
• Optional: Side vegetable (Green Beans, Peas, Corn, whatever trips your trigger)
Preheat oven to ~200C / 400F, and put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.
Rub Olive Oil and your seasonings of choice on both sides of the pork chops. Put a pan on high heat, then sear both sides of the pork chops until the outsides just start to brown, about 5 minutes. This traps the moisture inside the Pork loin so it doesn’t get rubbery after baking.
Put the Pork Chops into a glass casserole dish, then cover with creamed corn and the tomato soup. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce. I never measure it, but I’d guess a couple tablespoons. Salt and pepper to taste. A dash of Red Chili Powder or couple drops of Frank’s Hot gives it a nice spice if you’re into that.
Throw the casserole dish uncovered into the oven. Set a timer for 35 minutes, depending upon the cut of chop. Thicker chops obviously take longer. Their target is 80C / 175F.
While the chops cook, cut potatoes into 1 cm / 1/2 inch thick slices. Salt. Toss them into the boiling water. Boil until they start to crumble easily when pushed with a spoon (~15 minutes, depending on your stove, altitude, and amount of water).
Meanwhile, melt ~60g / 4 tablespoons of butter and a 1/4 cup / 60ml of whole milk into the sauce pan. Sometimes I make mashed potatoes with the leftover oil and fat from the pork chops, and they come out a little more savory, but I’d cut back on the butter; otherwise, rinse the pan first. Once the butter melts, remove from heat, and whisk the butter and milk together really well.
When the potatoes are soft, drain well in a strainer, then return to the pot and turn off the heat. Mash the Potatoes as best you can, then add the milk / butter mix and stir. Let them sit. If they’re still kinda dry looking, I’ll add a touch more of milk, but don’t overdo it. Ain’t nobody like soggy mashed potatoes.
When the Pork chops are done (usually after the sauce has been boiling for about 15 minutes), remove from oven and check with a meat thermometer. I try to pull them out before they hit 80C / 175F, any more and they start to get tough. Honestly, that’s probably overcooking them; I think chops can be as low as 65 C / 150F, but I get paranoid easily. Let the Pork Chops sit at least 10 minutes in the sauce before cutting.
I usually throw the vegetables into the leftover butter / milk mixture pan and just warm them up. There’s better ways to cook vegetables, but I’m lazy by this point, and the sauce usually covers up any deficiencies in the vegetable flavor.
Put on a plate and enjoy!