Slow-Roasted Deviled Pork Chops A punchy mustard-based paste is an age-old cover-up for mild-mannered cuts. But it can’t hide meat that’s dry and tough below the surface. j BY ANNIE PETITO k
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PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL J. VAN ACKERE
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I placed four boneless, 1-inch-thick ou wouldn’t usually call upon chops on a wire rack set in a rimmed bakthe devil to save a weeknight ing sheet so that air could circulate around dinner, but that’s exactly what them for even cooking. Then I slid the sheet Mr. Micawber does in Charles into a 275-degree oven and left them alone Dickens’s novel David Copperfield until they hit 140 degrees. That took about (1850) when he covers undercooked 40 minutes, which was longer than I’d mutton with mustard, salt, and black and ever waited for pork chops to cook. But cayenne peppers. It is a classic example the juicy, tender results were worth it. The of “deviling,” the practice of seasoning only hiccup was that the chops stuck to food with some combination of musthe rack, so the next time I coated it with tard, pepper, and/or vinegar, which vegetable oil spray to ensure that the meat dates back to at least the 18th century. released cleanly. Nowadays, the term refers to any treatment that uses those components to punch up mild-mannered foods such as The Devil Is in the Details hard-cooked eggs, deli ham, or bland On to the mustard paste. I followed the chicken breasts and pork chops. lead of other recipes and started with The ease and bold flavors of deviling Dijon, which offered an assertive punch of appeal to me, particularly when applied clean heat and acidity along with a creamy to boneless pork chops, which I often texture that clung well to the chops. Then make for weeknight dinners. But recipes I took a cue from the Dickensian formula vary widely when it comes to the type and and seasoned the mustard with salt as well intensity of heat—from a weak sprinkle as black and cayenne peppers; each type of of black pepper to a thick slather of pepper lent its own distinct heat, and both sharp mustard, neither of which offers enhanced the mustard’s burn. For savory the complex, balanced spiciness and acidflavor, I worked in a small amount of garlic ity that I would want in this dish. Plus, In addition to providing bold flavor, our mustard paste glues crisp panko that I had minced to a paste (which resulted mustard-coated pork chops are often cov- bread crumbs to the chops’ exteriors. in even flavor distribution) and balanced ered in bread crumbs, but I’ve found that the fiery concoction with a couple of teathe fine crumbs soak up moisture from the mustard The Lowdown spoons of brown sugar. After patting a new batch of and turn soggy. The more I thought about the role of well-browned chops dry, I brushed the entire surface of each one But those are just the surface issues related to meat on deviled pork chops, the more I wondered if with the paste, set them on the rack, and popped deviling, and they would be relatively simple to fix. it was necessary. Once the chops were covered with them into the oven. The bigger problem with most deviled pork chops the punchy mustard paste and, potentially, a crunchy The paste was nicely seasoned and packed decent is how they’re cooked: They’re usually coated with bread-crumb coating, would you really miss the flavor punch, but now that I was tasting it with the pork, I mustard and then seared or broiled, the goal being and texture of the seared meat? I did a quick test and wanted even more of that nasal bite. A heavier coat to develop a deeply browned, flavorful crust. But confirmed that the answer was no; the mustard-based of the paste wasn’t the way to go; for one thing, inevitably, the lean meat dries out and toughens. paste I’d used to coat the meat more or less camou- I wanted more heat but not more acidity. Plus, it To fix these issues, I would start by finding a flaged the flavor of the sear. Searing was out. would be messy to both slather more paste on the cooking technique that produced tender, juicy Instead, I would try to slow-roast the chops, as meat and clean it off the wire rack after cooking; chops. Then I would need to fine-tune a mus- we often do with large roasts and the baked-on coating from the tard-based deviling paste that would be assertive thick steaks. The benefit is twofold: Searing was out . . . I would underside of the chops was already and vibrant enough to perk up the pork without Lower heat keeps the temperature try to slow-roast the chops, sticking to the rack. Instead, I overwhelming it. Once those elements were in place, of the meat’s outermost layers low; tried adding dry (also known as I’d see about adding a bread-crumb crust. English) mustard, a variety of hot this prevents them from squeez- as we often do with large mustard that’s sold in powdered ing out moisture and promotes roasts and thick steaks. form. In many cases, the powder more-even cooking by reducing See Annie’s Devilish Side the temperature differential between the meat’s is reconstituted in a little water before being used, A step-by-step video is available exterior and interior. Lower heat also encourages but that wouldn’t be necessary here since the Dijon at CooksIllustrated.com/jun18 enzymes within the pork to break down some of the contained plenty of moisture. I ran a few tests and worked my way up to a hefty 1½ teaspoons of dry muscle protein, leading to more-tender meat.
