Food - Drink
Blade Pork Chops Vs. Rib Chops: What's The Difference?
By NATASHA BAILEY
Pork is a flavorful and delicious protein that is available in a huge number of different cuts, but this variety can make cooking tricky if you're unfamiliar with butchery. Two popular cuts of pork are rib chops and blade pork chops, which sound similar, but have differences in fat content, size, and thickness that determine how you should cook them.
A rib chop, AKA center-cut rib chop, rib end cut, ribeye chop, and more, is a lean cut of loin carved from the shoulder of the pig to the middle of the ribs, giving it an “eye” appearance with a layer of fat around the outside. Thanks to all that fat, this cut can handle high heat without drying out, whether baked, pan-seared, grilled, or broiled.
Blade chops, AKA pork steaks, are a more complex slice of meat cut from the shoulder, and may contain various different muscles and connective tissues. This thick cut is mainly dark meat laced with fat, and sometimes comes with blade bone or back-rib bone attached, which means that the meat will take a bit longer to cook.
A recommended preparation for rib chops is to grill them on medium-high heat for about four minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F, which only takes about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, blade chops do well when cooked slowly by braising or another lengthy cooking method, and make for delicious barbecue.
