Clean Eating Weeknight Balsamic Pork Chops Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak pork chops in vinegar? ›

The citrus and vinegar in the brine tenderize the pork, leaving you with a more succulent bite of the other white meat. Without a brine, the pork chops are more likely to taste bland and have a greater chance of drying out, especially if they are a leaner cut like tenderloin or boneless loin chops.

Tenderize Pork with a Meat Mallet

An old-fashioned meat mallet is a quick, affordable, and reliable way to soften up any cut of meat. It's great for pork chops because you can use it lightly on thinner chops and put more force into thicker cuts.

Seal the bag or cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight, to allow the flavors to penetrate the pork.

You have probably heard it many times already: don't eat too much red meat or processed foods. But research shows processed red meats, like bacon, hot dogs, and salami are the biggest problem.

Overall — regardless of cooking method — pork chops are a very rich source of selenium. This is a mineral involved in your immune and endocrine systems, and it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties ( 2 ). Pork chops are also high in zinc, and they offer good amounts of: iron.

Lean pork is every bit as good for your body as lean beef and chicken. In one study, substituting lean pork for beef and chicken led to less body fat and better heart health. For a spicy take, try ancho-rubbed pork tenderloin. It's lean, flavorful, and perfect for grilling.

Wet Brining with Baking Soda to Tenderize Meat

Whereas an oversaturated saltwater brine might make your cut less filet-like, a baking soda wet brine expedites the tenderizing process and limits the potential for oversaturation.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds a beautiful and tasty touch of acidity to the glaze that brightens up the apple glazed pork chops. Apple Cider – Gives the pork an intense layer of sweet apple flavor combined with the apple cider vinegar.

Why are my pork chops slimy but no smell? ›

As with the puffy packaging scenario, a viscous, slimy piece of pork is an indication of bacterial microbes spreading through your meat. This usually looks like fungal growth, otherwise known as mold, on the surface of the meat.

1. marinating the meat with vinegar will make the meat much softer and tender after cooking; 2. the vinegar of the marinade will flavor your meat and enhance your recipes.

The results showed that fermented vinegars and distilled vinegar could significantly (P < 0.05) inhibit the formation of BaP (26.8%–82.3%) in barbecued pork sausages. Furthermore, fermented vinegar could enhance the sensory evaluation of barbecued pork sausages(tenderness, flavor, juiciness and overall acceptability).

Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt and wine weaken collagen and protein in meat. Once the proteins are broken by acid, one loose protein can bond with another and trap liquid in the meat, making it juicy and tender. Yay!

By soaking the pork chops in a mixture of water, salt, and additional flavorings (more on that in a moment), you can help the meat to draw in moisture and add tons of savory flavor. Turns out that brining is especially useful for lean meats like pork and poultry, which can sometimes be dry and bland.