Description
THE PORK
A loin chop is cut from the back of the pig — the same muscle as the rolled loin joint, but sliced through the bone into individual portions. It’s a well-structured cut with a clean eye of meat, a good fat covering, and the skin still on — which means it has everything it needs to cook brilliantly without any intervention. Ours comes from pork sourced from the Lincolnshire Pork Company, raised to high welfare standards here in Lincolnshire, and cut by our butchers on site at Grasmere Farm.
COOKING YOUR LOIN CHOPS
Take the chops out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Score the skin at 1cm intervals and rub generously with flaked salt — this is what gives you the crackling strip along the top. Season the meat side with salt and black pepper just before cooking.
In a pan:
Get a heavy pan properly hot. Stand the chops on their skin side first for 3–4 minutes to render the fat and begin crisping the skin. Then lay flat and cook for 3–4 minutes each side until deep golden brown. In the last minute add a knob of butter, a crushed garlic clove and a sprig of thyme and baste. Rest for 5 minutes. Internal temperature of 70°C at the thickest part, away from the bone.
Under the grill:
Preheat the grill to high. Place the chops skin side up on a rack and grill for 5–6 minutes until the skin is blistered and beginning to crackle. Turn and grill for a further 4–5 minutes on the meat side. Turn skin side up again for a final 2–3 minutes if the crackling needs more colour. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
On the barbecue:
Cook over direct medium heat for 4–5 minutes each side. Stand on the skin side over direct coals for the final 2–3 minutes to blister the skin. Rest for 5 minutes. The fat rendering into the coals and smoking back up through the meat is one of the better things that happens on a barbecue.
In the oven:
Preheat to 200°C / 180°C fan. Place skin side up on a rack in a roasting tin. Roast for 20–25 minutes until cooked through and the skin is golden. Finish under a hot grill for 3–4 minutes if the skin needs more colour. Rest for 5 minutes. Internal temperature 70°C at the thickest part, away from the bone.
In the air fryer:
200°C for 14–16 minutes, skin side up, turning for the last 4 minutes. Good colour on the outside and the skin crisps well. Check the internal temperature before serving — 70°C at the thickest part, away from the bone.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THEM
Pork chops are a genuinely versatile midweek cut. The classic combination — mashed potato, apple sauce, and something green — works well as it comes together in the same time it takes to cook the chops.
Beyond the classics: try them with a warm lentil salad dressed with mustard and cider vinegar, or sliced cold the next day in a sandwich with apple sauce and good bread. They also work well marinated overnight in soy, ginger, and honey before cooking.
STORAGE & DELIVERY
Delivered fresh in chilled packaging. Keep refrigerated and use within the use by on the pack. Suitable for home freezing — freeze on day of delivery. For the 1.35kg and 2.7kg packs, freeze in pairs and defrost in the fridge for 12 hours before cooking.
