Seasoning Pork Chops

For some families, pork chops appear on the dinner table much more often than T-bone steaks. Yet you don’t have to treat this everyday dinner star as something routine or boring. Spicing things up with a change in seasoning can take your same-old pork chops and transform them into something exciting. 

There’s no need to rely solely on pre-mixed seasoning mixes and rubs either. You likely have everything you need in your kitchen to mix up your own inspired seasoning. Use these tips to begin your experiments with finding the perfect flavor to make pork chops pop.

What are the Primary Flavors of Pork?

Pork chops have a mild, meaty flavor that isn’t as strong as steak or even ground beef. Many people feel the flavor is lightly sweet, so it’s common to see brown sugar in seasoning mixes as a way of increasing that sweetness. 

There is an earthy and mineral taste to most pork chops that is missing from lighter meats like chicken. That means you’ll need ingredients like sage or ground bay leaves if you want to bring out the earthy side of the flavor profile. You won’t have to worry about those flavors overwhelming the meat in most cases.

Pork Chop Seasoning Tips

• Take care when using fresh herbs and minced garlic. They work well for adding flavor to the pork chops but don’t work well with all cooking methods. Stick to grilling or frying these chops and save the baking and broiling for pork chops coated with dried spices.
• Use the highest quality spices and herbs you can find. Many people mix together stale or old spices and find their seasoning efforts don’t achieve the results they want. Invest in new spices if you can’t smell a rich bouquet when you sniff them. Milder spices like paprika and chili powder are especially prone to losing their flavor fairly quickly after opening.
• Make sure you’re using the same kind of salt as the seasoning mix recipe calls for. If the recipe calls for Kosher salt and you use plain table salt, the ratio will change and the mix will be saltier than you expected.
• Watch out for spicy ingredients. Even if you’re trying to make a spicy seasoning based around crushed red peppers or Gochugaru, you’ll want to use a limited amount of them. Consider that the flavor will increase as the pork chops cook and that other ingredients like black pepper will contribute to the heat level.

Do You Need to Tenderize Pork Chops?

Most pork chops are fairly tender on their own, especially if cooked with care. However, you can tenderize your pork chops if you find them a little chewy or tough after cooking. Pounding the chops with a meat-tenderizing mallet will leave them very thin and quick to cook. 

Using an enzyme-based tenderizing powder is a better choice. Simply replace half of the salt in your seasoning recipe with tenderizing powder and you’ll get good results. Let the seasoned pork chops sit for about 10 minutes before cooking so the enzyme has a chance to dissolve and work to soften the meat.

How Do You Use Pork Chop Seasoning?

Once you’ve mixed up your seasoning, you can sprinkle it right on the surface to get a good coating. You’ll use about 1 teaspoon of seasoning per pork chop.

You can rub it onto the surface of the meat to help it stick, or you can coat the pork chops with a little olive oil first. This creates a thicker crust of flavor that helps the meat stay juicy inside. However, you’ll want to cut back on the salt a little bit if you’re mixing up a seasoning blend to use in this way.

What are Some Pork Chop Seasoning Variations?

If you’re not a fan of extra sugar in your seasoning, consider a chili and garlic combination that relies on paprika and cardamom for sweetness instead. Barbecue-inspired seasoning mixes are tasty as well, combining smoked chili powder with ingredients like oregano and garlic.

To keep it simple, just a combination of salt and pepper can go a long way if the pepper is freshly cracked. Consider making a simple butter-based pan sauce after you finish cooking the seasoning pork chops to capture more of the delicious flavor.

Instructions

Making your own pork chop spice mix is quite easy. This is a basic mix you can adjust by swapping ingredients for other dried herbs and spices.

Step 1: Combine ingredients

Gather together:

• 4 tablespoons of paprika, preferably smoked
• 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons of onion powder
• 2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, preferably ground or crushed
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper.

Mix everything together in a clean mixing bowl. If you’re struggling to get it to combine cleanly, try pulsing it in a food processor or spice grinder.

Step 2: Store seasoning

The salt and sugar in this seasoning will attract moisture, so make sure to use an air-tight container. A glass Mason jar is a good choice. Make sure to keep the storage jar out of direct sunlight and away from sources of heat. Use the seasoning up within six months so it doesn’t lose flavor.

Other Pork Chop Flavor Options

Aside from applying a seasoning mix to the surface, you have a few options for adding flavor and juiciness to the pork chops.

Marinades

Marinades are mixtures of acids, oils, and other liquid ingredients that introduce flavor. Marinated pork chops can be baked or grilled without losing their juiciness.

Brines

Brining is related to marinating, but it’s a little simpler. You only need water, salt, and ingredients you want to add flavor to the meat. Just salt, sugar, and water can do a lot to keep the pork chops juicy and flavorful as they cook.

Rubs

Rubs are a type of seasoning that tends to be applied heavily to form a thick crust. Reduce the salt in your seasoning by about 25% if you want to use it as a rub without making the pork chops too salty.

Conclusion

There’s no excuse to settle for plain pork chops ever again now that you know how to season pork chops. Keep a wide variety of spices in your kitchen cabinet and you’ll always be ready to whip up an amazing dinner.