NEVER Fry Your Pork Chops Again — Granny's Old Appalachian Trick

If every pork chop you cook comes out gray and dry, it isn't your fault, and it isn't your mother's either. In this one I'll walk you through the way my granny and my mama cooked a chop on Rockhouse Creek in Letcher County, Kentucky, and it was never frying. What's in here: which chop to buy and which one to leave in the case, why pork got leaner while everybody kept cooking it to gray, when the salt goes on (a good deal earlier than you think), lard and cast iron, the browning that's only the start, why the onions are the liquid and not a garnish, the one thing Mama laid in the skillet with them come fall, the heavy lid and the low fire, how she read a chop by the bone, and the five minutes of rest that keep the juice in the meat. Safety note: hot lard spits, so dry your chops well and keep the lid within reach. The USDA safe temperature for pork is 145°F with a rest. If anyone at your table is pregnant, very young, or has a weakened immune system, hold to 145°F with a full rest. This is my own telling, the way it was done in our kitchen. Did your mama put a lid on her chops, or fry them dry? Lard, drippings, or store oil? And did she ever put an apple in with the onions? Tell me in the comments, and tell me what county. I read every one. #AppalachianCooking #PorkChops #SmotheredPorkChops #CastIron #GrannyRecipes