Lemon Butter Pork Chops

The fast skillet pork chop — pounded, dredged, seared, then slid into the oven with a lemon-butter pan sauce. The lemon slices in the pan caramelize and become edible; the butter foams and browns; the pork cooks gently to juicy. 40 minutes door to plate.

Heat: 0/5. No chile.

Serving

Roasted asparagus (the recipe author's standard side): asparagus tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, roasted at the same 180°C for 10-15 min. Plus mashed potatoes or rice. Or a simple green salad.

Notes

• Don't pound too thin. 2.5cm thick = juicy. 1cm thick = dry.
• Internal temp. USDA guidelines for pork are 63°C (145°F) followed by 3-min rest, which gives slightly pink, juicy meat. Older recipes call for 70°C+ which is overcooked. 65-68°C is the sweet spot for most palates.
• The lemon slices. They become soft and edible — flip them in the pan so both sides candy slightly. Eat them with the pork.
• Sauce won't thicken much. The flour from the dredge contributes a little, but this is a thin pan sauce, not a gravy. That's correct.
• Variations:
  • Add 2 tbsp capers to the pan with the lemon (piccata-style)
  • Add 60ml white wine after the garlic (deglaze, reduce 1 min, then add lemon)
  • Substitute thinly sliced veal cutlet (vitelo) — different meat, same method
  • Use chicken breast cutlets — drop oven time to 6-8 min
• Why not freezer-friendly: the lemon-butter texture suffers from refreezing. Cook fresh; the dish is fast enough not to need batch-cooking.
• Wine: the same lemon-juice acid wants a crisp white — Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, or unoaked Chardonnay.