Robuchon Pork Chop Discussion on Failure

I have got onto a Pork Chop tangent.  Honestly, I started to utilize the 'techniques' of the Test Kitchen, meaning test a recipe over and over again and figure it out on your own.  So I did Pork Chops the other night and they were amazing... but not quite perfect.  Jumping the gun I wrote my Robuchon Recipe last night and cooked them again... the result?  They were good, but not as good as before!  What the hell?  Well, I made some changes all of which I assumed would make them better.

1.  I cooked them in a nonstick pan.  Not sure if this made a difference.
2.  Instead of letting them sit for 10 minutes before grilling them, I slammed them straight on the grill.
3.  I grilled them for less time.
4.  I let them sit AFTER grilling.
5.  I covered them in bacon fat before putting them on the grill.
6.  I used more wine and stock in the sauce because the first one was pretty thick.
7.  I got the thickest chops I could, but they weren't as thick.
8 . I cooked them over lower heat.

All of this made everyone agree... they were good... but not as good.  How did that happen?  Well that is a LOT of changes above so somewhere in there is the answer.  So... what am I going to do? You know it. It's Friday, I'm dropping my wife off at the airport for a trip she has to take, on the way home this morning I'm buying more chops, and today, cooking them ONE AT A TIME, we'll further mess with this recipe.  I was pissed they didn't taste as good.  All that work on that nice looking recipe, first one out the door, and I misled everyone. It isn't that good yet.

Okay, look for further Pork Chop revelations as we go.

Robuchon Pork Chops - March 28th, 2013

There is this dude named Joel Robuchon.  He's quite the famous French cook.  I heard from him in association with Gordon Ramsay, a rather famous English cook.   Robuchon's cookbook is big, black and white, no pictures, and chock full of good information.  In his book The Complete Robuchon he has a recipe for a single Pork Chop.  Yeah... one pork chop.  Interesting.  Anyway, I took that recipe and built upon it by adding his cornichon sauce, adding some techniques from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook  and adding a Modernist Cuisine magic touch at the end.

So here is the conglomerated recipe that has gotten RAVE reviews from all my taste testers.

Ingredients
Pork Chops
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon of neutral oil live vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of butter

1.  Take the Pork Chops out of the refrigerator and let sit out for 20 minutes.  Not sure why he does this.  Someone know? If they do email me so I don't look so stupid telling you to do something when I don't have a clue why.
2.  Start your grill and turned it up all the way and let it get hot!  Grease the skids.
3.  Heat the oil and the butter, then under low heat put salted and peppered porkchops into the pan.  Cook slowly.  How long?  Good thing you asked, because what you  need now is an Instant Read Thermometer.  The Modernist Cuisine at Home cook book recomends the ThermoWorks Instant Read Thermometer and reminds you it's CRUCIAL to have one for Modernist Cooking.  I'll say this, if you want these pork chops to turn out perfectly, with no guesswork, you'll need one.

4.  Robuchon suggest that you baste the chops in the oil and butter quite often, flipping and it and turning it, etc.  The key here is to use your thermometer and get an instant read of 135 degrees inside.  It's still a little pink there, but as explained in detail in the Modernist Cooking cookbooks, pork is quiet safe right now and 99% of people in the world over cook it due to a false fear.  You DO want it a little pink.  Really? Yep.  Read up on it here:  Modernist Cookbook.  The Test Kitchen folks will tell you the same thing.

5.  Once you have your desired temperature, now you got to SEAR THEM!  This is the magical part.  Really... don't skip this.  Take the chops coat them in melted bacon grease.  Did you hear me say that right?  Yes you did.  Melted.  Bacon.  Grease.  Then... slam them on your ridiculously hot grill for about 1/2 a minute to a full minute per side.  BAM!  Take them off and let the rest while you make the sauce!

Ingredients for the Sauce

1 Cup of Chicken Stock
1 Medium Onion chopped up
1/2 Cup of White Wine
1 tablespoon of Mustard
2 teaspoons of butter
3 ounces or more of cornichons - these are small gherkin sweet pickles
Salt
Pepper

1.  Get rid of most of the fat that is left after frying the chops above.  You just mostly want brown juices and tasty bits.  Turn up the heat, and add the onion.  Cook for 3 minutes or so, maybe a bit longer if you are at altitude like I am. You are looking for a sweet translucent color.
2.  Then add the white, it should spit and his at you.  Scrape up any brown bits, then add the stock.  Cook a couple minutes more, 2-3.
3.  Add the mustard and lower the heat.  At this same time I sometimes add some dried tarragon  salt, and pepper, because I like it.  But you can do what you want (obviously).  Then add 2 teaspoons of butter and mix in, then add the pickles (cornichons) sliced up small.

Now put pour the sauce over the chops, and... email me.  If you don't like it, I'll be surprised.  In fact, I'll be convinced you messed up the recipe and it's not my fault.  How else could you not like this magical dish?

The First Post

Greetings from the Chef of Enlightenment!  This is the first post, written March 24th, 2013, Sunday.  Tonight our first recipe is... Corned Beef.  Yeah... I know...  you are thinking: "Enlightenment starts with Corned Beef?"  Sure!  Why not?  My Dad is Irish, and hence my Mom made this meal quiet often.  I've consulted a few cook book books, my Mother in Law, and I've come up with a good corn recipe.  Look for it in the blog in coming days.

Meanwhile, feel free to contact me at any time sharing your insights, stories, and feelings about the whole cooking business.