Prepare Pot-Roasted Pork

Makes 6 servings, enough meat for 20 good-size tacos.

- 2 medium, about 1 ounce total dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 4 medium, about 1 ounce total dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

- 1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped, plus a couple of slices broken into rings for garnish

- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs such as marjoram, thyme and Mexican oregano.

- A scant 1/4 teaspoon allspice, preferably freshly ground

- A pinch of cloves, preferably freshly ground

- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rich-lasting lard

- Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon

- 3 pounds lean, boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt roast

- or 4 1/2 pounds fresh picnic ham with the skin on just for classic crispy skin.

- 8 leaves romaine leaves, for garnish

- 3 radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish

The chile paste. Place the chiles in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let stand 30 minutes to rehydrate, stirring occasionally to ensure even soaking. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of liquid, then transfer chiles and reserved liquid to a food processor or blender.

Use a blender in order to ensure a smoother puree.

Pulverize the bay leaves in a spice grinder or a mortar, then add to the blender, along with the vinegar, onion, garlic, mixed herbs, allspice and cloves. Process to a smooth puree adding a little more water if needed to keep the mixture moving through the blades; press through a medium-mesh strainer into a small bowl.

Set a large 6-quart pot with a lid preferably a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil or lard. When hot enough to make a drop of the puree really sizzle, add it all at once.

Stir constantly as the puree sears, concentrates and darkens into a spicy-smelling paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt.

Seasoning and pot-roasting the meat. Turn on the oven to 325 degrees. If you are using pork shoulder or butt, cut it into slabs roughly 3 inches thick - try to get them all about the same thickness so they cook evenly.

Leave a picnic ham whole, but make 1-inch-deep incisions every few inches all over the meat. Lay the meat into the pot with the chile paste, then flip it over to cover with the chile slathering with a spoon or spatula to give an even coating.

Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat, cover tightly and place in the oven.

Baste the meat every 30 minutes with the liquid and rendered fat that accumulates around it. After about 2 1/2 hours, the fresh ham may need another 1/2 to 1 hour, the meat will be fork-tender and will have darkened to an appetizing and crusty, rich, red-brown.

If all the liquid evaporates during the cooking, leaving only chile paste and fat, dribble a little more water into the pan so you can go on basting. If time allows, let the pork stand, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes to reabsorb juices before serving.

Roasted the meat for three hours and let it sit covered on the counter for 30 minutes. That last 30 minutes is crucial to the moistness.

Serving the meat. Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves. With the help of tongs, spatulas or meat forks, transfer the meat to the platter, then taste the pan juices and add a little more salt if necessary.

Spoon the juices over the meat, then scatter the onion rings and radish slices over all, to create a riot of color and texture.

The pot-roasted pork holds well in a low oven for an hour or so before serving. It can be done ahead and rewarmed in a 350-degree oven, though the texture of just-cooked pork is the best.

The chile paste is so deep and smoky. It may work as a marinade for pork chops.


Tourism Observer

Prepare Pot-Roasted Pork

Makes 6 servings, enough meat for 20 good-size tacos.

- 2 medium, about 1 ounce total dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 4 medium, about 1 ounce total dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

- 1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped, plus a couple of slices broken into rings for garnish

- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs such as marjoram, thyme and Mexican oregano.

- A scant 1/4 teaspoon allspice, preferably freshly ground

- A pinch of cloves, preferably freshly ground

- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rich-lasting lard

- Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon

- 3 pounds lean, boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt roast

- or 4 1/2 pounds fresh picnic ham with the skin on just for classic crispy skin.

- 8 leaves romaine leaves, for garnish

- 3 radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish

The chile paste. Place the chiles in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let stand 30 minutes to rehydrate, stirring occasionally to ensure even soaking. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of liquid, then transfer chiles and reserved liquid to a food processor or blender.

Use a blender in order to ensure a smoother puree.

Pulverize the bay leaves in a spice grinder or a mortar, then add to the blender, along with the vinegar, onion, garlic, mixed herbs, allspice and cloves. Process to a smooth puree adding a little more water if needed to keep the mixture moving through the blades; press through a medium-mesh strainer into a small bowl.

Set a large 6-quart pot with a lid preferably a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil or lard. When hot enough to make a drop of the puree really sizzle, add it all at once.

Stir constantly as the puree sears, concentrates and darkens into a spicy-smelling paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt.

Seasoning and pot-roasting the meat. Turn on the oven to 325 degrees. If you are using pork shoulder or butt, cut it into slabs roughly 3 inches thick - try to get them all about the same thickness so they cook evenly.

Leave a picnic ham whole, but make 1-inch-deep incisions every few inches all over the meat. Lay the meat into the pot with the chile paste, then flip it over to cover with the chile slathering with a spoon or spatula to give an even coating.

Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat, cover tightly and place in the oven.

Baste the meat every 30 minutes with the liquid and rendered fat that accumulates around it. After about 2 1/2 hours, the fresh ham may need another 1/2 to 1 hour, the meat will be fork-tender and will have darkened to an appetizing and crusty, rich, red-brown.

If all the liquid evaporates during the cooking, leaving only chile paste and fat, dribble a little more water into the pan so you can go on basting. If time allows, let the pork stand, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes to reabsorb juices before serving.

Roasted the meat for three hours and let it sit covered on the counter for 30 minutes. That last 30 minutes is crucial to the moistness.

Serving the meat. Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves. With the help of tongs, spatulas or meat forks, transfer the meat to the platter, then taste the pan juices and add a little more salt if necessary.

Spoon the juices over the meat, then scatter the onion rings and radish slices over all, to create a riot of color and texture.

The pot-roasted pork holds well in a low oven for an hour or so before serving. It can be done ahead and rewarmed in a 350-degree oven, though the texture of just-cooked pork is the best.

The chile paste is so deep and smoky. It may work as a marinade for pork chops.


Tourism Observer

How To Cook Tender & Juicy Pork Chops In The Oven

What if I told you that I could guarantee perfectly cooked, perfectly tender pork chops, every time? Would you believe me? Or have too many dinners of overcooked shoe-leather pork chops turned you off from this easy addition to the weeknight meal rotation? Let me convince you to try them one more time. Let me convince you to try roasting your pork chops in the oven.

Here is our step-by-step recipe for perfectly cooked, perfectly juicy pork chops.

Brine The Pork
Brining the pork chops is one of the best ways way to guarantee a juicy cooked pork chop. Even a quick 30-minute brine (or up to 4 hours) makes a big difference.

It's not strictly necessary — you can still use this method to make great pork chops even without brining — but if you have some extra time, I recommend it. Brining actually changes the cell structure within the meat, resulting in a noticeably juicier chop. The salt brine also seasons the interior of the meat. It won't taste "salty," just well-seasoned. You can even add other seasonings like garlic, peppercorns, fresh herbs, and lemon to the brine for more flavor. If you fear bland pork chops, definitely give brining a try.

Stovetop to Oven
Pork chops are a tender, quick-cooking cut of meat — so quick-cooking, in fact, that they're very easy to overcook. This is why I like to start the chops on the stovetop where they get a good sear and then transfer them to the oven to finish cooking. The gentle heat of the oven helps us to control the rate of cooking a little better and also prevents the outside from getting tough and dry before the middle has finished cooking.

Bone-On Pork Chops
I encourage you to look for bone-on pork chops. They take a little longer to cook than boneless chops, but in my experience, they are another way of ensuring tender cooked pork chops. And by "a littler longer to cook," I'm really only talking about a few minutes. It won't make a huge difference to your meal prep!

You can also make this whole process of cooking pork chops easier by using just one pan. Heat up the skillet in the oven while you get the rest of the meal prepped, then transfer it — carefully! — to a stove top burner to sear the pork chops. Once the chops are golden on the underside, you flip them and transfer the skillet back to the oven. The residual heat from the skillet will sear the other side of the pork chops while the heat of the oven cooks them through.


How to Cook Tender & Juicy Pork Chops in the Oven

Makes 2 to 4 pork chops

What You Need

Ingredients

For the brine (optional):
3 cups cold water, divided
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt (or 2 1/2 tablespoons table salt)
Optional flavorings: 2 smashed garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf

For the pork chops:
2 to 4 pork chops — center cut, bone-on, 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick (about 1 pound each) Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Equipment
Shallow dish (for brining)
Large cast iron, stainless steel, or other oven-safe skillet
Tongs
Instructions

Brine the pork chops (optional): If you have time, brining the pork for even a brief period adds flavor and ensures juiciness in the finished chop. Bring 1 cup of the water to a boil, add the salt and optional flavorings, and stir to dissolve the salt. Add 2 more cups of cold water to bring the temperature of the brine down to room temperature. Place the pork chops in a shallow dish and pour the brine over top. The brine should cover the chops — if not, add additional water and salt (1 cup water to 1 tablespoon salt) until the chops are submerged. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Heat the oven and skillet: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Place the skillet in the oven to preheat as well.
Season the pork chops: While the oven heats, prepare the pork chops. Remove the chops from the brine; if you didn't brine, remove the chops from their packaging. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub both sides with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set the chops aside to warm while the oven finishes heating.
Remove the skillet from the oven: Using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and set it over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Turn on a vent fan or open a window.
Sear the pork chops: Lay the pork chops in the hot skillet. You should hear them immediately begin to sizzle. Sear until the undersides of the chops are seared golden, 3 minutes. The chops may start to smoke a little — that's ok. Turn down the heat if it becomes excessive.
Flip the chops and transfer to the oven: Use tongs to flip the pork chops to the other side. Immediately transfer the skillet to the oven using oven mitts.
Roast the chops until cooked through: Roast until the pork chops are cooked through and register 140°F to 145°F in the thickest part of the meat with an instant-read thermometer. Cooking time will be 6 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops, how cool they were at the start of cooking, and whether they were brined. Start checking the chops at 6 minutes and continue checking every minute or two until the chops are cooked through.
Rest the chops: Transfer the cooked pork chops to a plate and pour any pan juices over the top (or reserve for making a pan sauce or gravy). Tent loosely with foil and let the chops rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

The result is a perfectly cooked pork chop: one that's golden and crusted on the outside and perfectly tender and juicy in the middle. Every time. Serve it with a simple side salad, roasted vegetables, or rice pilaf for an easy and quick weeknight meal.

Buy 2-4 pork chops — center cut, bone-on, 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick (about 1 pound each)