A pork chop is a cut of pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....

 (a meat chop

Meat chop

A meat chop is a cut of meat cut perpendicularly to the spine, and usually containing a rib or riblet part of a vertebra and served as an individual portion. The most common kinds of meat chops are pork and lamb. A thin boneless chop, or one with only the rib bone, may be called a cutlet, though...

) cut perpendicularly to the spine of the pig and usually containing a rib or part of a vertebra, served as an individual portion.

Variations

The center cut or pork loin chop includes a large T

T

T is the 20th letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet. It is the most commonly used consonant and the second most common letter in the English language.- History :Taw was the last letter of the Western Semitic and Hebrew alphabets...

 shaped bone, and is structurally similar to the beef

Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...

 t-bone steak

T-bone steak

The T-bone and Porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin and including a T-shaped bone with meat on each side: the larger is a strip steak and the smaller a tenderloin steak...

. Rib chops come from the rib portion of the loin, and are similar to rib eye steak

Rib eye steak

The rib eye or ribeye, also known as the Scotch fillet , is a beef steak from the rib section.The rib section of beef spans from ribs six through twelve. Ribeye steaks are mostly composed of the Longissimus dorsi muscle but also contain the Complexus and Spinalis muscles.- External links :* * * * *...

s. Blade or shoulder chops come from the spine, and tend to contain large amounts of connective tissue. The sirloin chop is taken from the (rear) leg end and also contains a large amount of connective tissue. The so-called "Iowa Chop" is a thick center cut; the term was coined in 1976 by the Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 Pork Producers Association. A "Bacon Chop" is cut from the shoulder end and leaves the pork belly meat attached. Pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....

 chops are sometimes sold marinated to add flavour; marinades such as a chilli sauce or a barbecue sauce

Barbecue sauce

Barbecue sauce is a flavoring sauce or condiment ranging from watery to very thick consistency. As the name implies, it was created as an accompaniment to barbecued foods. While it can be applied to any food, it usually tops meat after cooking or during barbecuing, grilling, or baking...

 are common. As pork is often cooked more thoroughly than beef, thus running the risk of drying out the meat, pork chops can be brined

Brining

In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in brine before cooking.Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked,...

 to maintain moistness.

Cooking pork chops

Pork chops are suitable for roasting, grilling, or frying, but there are also recipes of stuffed pork chops. They can be used boneless or bone-in. There is a belief that bone-in chops taste better because bones make the meat juicier by retaining the moisture inside. Pork chops are usually cut between 1/2 inch and 2 inches thick.

Cultural references

The pork chop is repeatedly referenced as a favorite food of such television characters as Homer Simpson

Homer Simpson

Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

 from The Simpsons

The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

and Curtis Payne

Curtis Payne

Curtis Payne is a fictional character and the protagonist of Tyler Perry's sitcom House of Payne. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Portrayed by actor LaVan Davis, Payne is depicted in the show to be a selfish, arrogant, and often rude character who has entitled himself the "King of the...

 from Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella...

.

External links

• The Other White Meat Pork Main Website
• National Pork Producers Council
• US FDA regulations – Title 9 – Chapter 3 – Part 318 – includes 318.10, "Prescribed treatment of pork and products containing pork to destroy trichinae." (revised January 1, 2003)
• Pork Chop Recipes A collection of various pork chop recipes