The Pork Chops To Pick For A Perfectly Marinated Bite

Depending on your cooking skill level, preparing a piece of meat can be stressful and daunting. You want every bite to have the perfect flavor and consistency; figuring that out takes practice. Then there's the type of meat and the cut, which also makes a difference. Basically, a slab of meat is much more complex than it looks, but luckily, there are tips and tricks to master them. Take pork chops, for example. In general, pork is a more challenging meat to prepare, so it's beneficial to understand how to prepare it and which cut to choose before seasoning or marinating. 

Okay, before you swear off every cooking with pork chops, you'll be happy to know there's an easy way to ensure you're setting yourself up for success. It isn't time-consuming or fancy and doesn't require a culinary degree; it depends on the thickness of the pork chops you buy.

When it comes down to it, using a thinner pork chop (about ⅛ to ¼ inches thick) will ensure each bite is full of the flavorful marinade or seasoning you applied during prep. Award-winning chef Andrea Nguyen details in her cookbook, "Vietnamese Food Any Day," that thin pork chops are frequently used in Vietnamese cuisine because they "pick up seasonings quickly, cook fast, and taste great." When looking for the perfect cut of meat at the grocery store, she says, "Sold at many supermarkets, the skinny chops have either a curved rib bone or T-shaped bone. An edge of fat and marbling signal good flavor."

Once you're ready to cook your pork chop, you'll want to use a fast-cooking method, like pan or deep-frying, to ensure the meat doesn't overcook. This method will provide a crispy exterior to the pork chop while the interior remains juicy and tender.