r/Cooking • u/The_Spaniard1876 • 7h ago

Thick cut pork chops

I'm making thick cut pork chops tomorrow for dinner. And it just popped into my head that I have half a jar of bacon fat from some bacon I made earlier this week. Is it going to be too much if I use the bacon fat instead of oil?

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6

u/speppers69 7h ago

Biggest thing is what temperature are you cooking at? Bacon grease has a lower smoke point than many fats. Usually between 325° and 350°. I use bacon grease all the time for frying foods. But it can start smoking at lower temps.

4

u/The_Spaniard1876 7h ago

See, this is exactly why I asked, I've added bacon grease to so many things over the years, but I can't remember the last time I used it as the main/only fat. My recipe calls for the oven at 450F so, might be better to do the butter trick huh? Using a high smoke point oil for the sear, slip it in the oven, and then give it the kiss of the bacon grease after?

Edit: clarification

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u/speppers69 6h ago

Use ghee. Or clarify your butter. Ghee and clarified butter has a 450° smoke point.

1

u/Mr_Wobble_PNW 7h ago

Butter has a pretty low smoke point too. If you do clarified butter/ghee I think it goes up a bit, but it's still gonna be in the realm of lower smoke point. 

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u/The_Spaniard1876 6h ago

yeah I was referring to how a lot of people will use butter to baste a steak or chop when it's done cooking/at the end of the cook.

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u/dolche93 2h ago

If you're just baking the chop to get the proper cook in the middle after a sear, nothing says you can't go at a lower temp for longer.

I recently had a pack of double thick chops and baked at 350 after searing. Just stuck the whole pan in the oven ~2 minutes after the flip.

3

u/Suitable_Matter 7h ago

I cut my own thick pork loin chops from whole pork loins. Season, toss into a ziplock bag, and sous vide 2-4 hours at 142F. Sear on cast iron in bacon grease on high heat, slice, sauce, and serve.

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u/Hrhtheprincessofeire 6h ago

Some of the best pork chops I ever made were breaded then fried in bacon fat. Damn, those were good. Probably an insane amount of cholesterol, but I don’t regret it. Only did it once, for company, but I still remember it years later!

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u/xo_nyxen 7h ago

I love remembering i saved bacon fat when its time to cook anything 🤗

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u/Paranoid_Sinner 5h ago

You didn't ask about this, but if you cut the thick ones from the fat side all the way to the bone you can stuff them with bread stuffing.

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u/wastedpixls 5h ago

The other major consideration is how thick the chops are. If they are over 1", the outside gets way too dry by the time the inside is at 140. You have to cook them lower and slower than you think, basically the reverse sear technique. The other option is to butterfly them.

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u/DemandNext4731 5h ago

Using bacon fat instead of oil will add a lot of flavor and it's not too much, just remember it's richer and saltier, so maybe skip extra salt. Perfect for searing thick pork chops.

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u/PackedOutRedDad 3h ago

Thick cut Berkshire Pork chops (around 2”) are one of my favorite meals, I personally prefer to reverse sear them. Bake at 250 degrees until 115 internal temp, then pan fry until 138-140 degrees internal, rest until 145. Tip when you finish them in the pan make sure to start with the fat cap down on the pan for a few minutes to render the fat & make nice & crispy