Why You Need Milk For Perfectly Tender Pork Chops

If you're a fan of all things pig (bacon, ham, sausage, ribs) you've probably never met a pork chop you didn't like — until you got a dry one. The other white meat tends to intimidate novice cooks (and even experienced ones) due to its propensity to easily dry out. Here are a couple of reasons why: Pork is leaner than it was years ago. That absence of fat makes chops in particular somewhat more challenging to prepare because we are used to cooking times in recipes that were tailored for pork with a higher fat content. We've also been conditioned to believe that cooking pork to any temperature under 160 degrees Fahrenheit can result in scary parasitic diseases like trichinosis. New USDA guidelines recommend cooking pork to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which is easy to check with a meat thermometer. But there's another way to make pork chops perfectly tender each time: Soak them in milk.

Milk marinades work the same way other marinades do. Natural enzymes found in milk help to break down the proteins and fibers in meat, the same way acids do, but on a much gentler scale. You could try soaking steak in milk, and it does a good job tenderizing chicken as well, but milk is particularly useful for tenderizing pork due to its ability to gently break down the more tender connective tissues, unlike acid which can overwork pork. The added bonus? Milk contains sugars that will help to brown the meat and infuse a subtly sweet flavor.

The first step to preparing a proper milk bath for your pork chops is to add salt to the milk. Salt also aids in the tenderization process, and will add some flavor to the meat. Use about 2 to 3 cups of milk and a couple of teaspoons of salt. Combine the milk and salt in a bowl. At this point, you can ease your chops into the milk bath, refrigerate, and marinate anywhere from one to four hours. You could also opt to add some seasoning to the milk bath. Fresh herbs like rosemary complement pork or add some fresh or powdered garlic. Just make sure to steer away from anything with extra salt. Seasoning can be placed directly on the chops or stirred into the milk bath. What kind of milk works best? The higher the lactic acid, the better, so whole milk is a great choice. Buttermilk will also offer a tangy savoriness to pork chops.

Before preparing chops for dredging, remove them from the milk bath, shake off the excess liquid, and pat them dry. This is important for two reasons: You want your chops to coat well with the egg wash and flour/breadcrumb mixture used, and too much liquid will prevent desired browning. Milk-bathed chops will result in a beautiful, crispy sear and a perfect, juicy interior.