This Underrated Pork Chop Cut Might Be The Most Flavorful Option At The Store

"Pork chops" might seem like a blanket term compared to the litany of names for all of the vast and varied cuts of beef that a person can buy. But there are actually different cuts of pork chops, too. They all come from the loin of the pig, a muscle that extends most of the length of its torso, but each cut has own distinctive character. If you were to take a tasting journey down the length of the loin from top to bottom, you would start with the relatively darker meat of the blade chop, which is, as you might have surmised, taken from the animal's shoulder. 

In the meat world, fat is flavor, and the blade chop is the fattiest one you can get. That fat helps to keep this cut juicy, which makes any meat tastier. But the blade chop's porcine origin still gets enough of a workout to give it a reputation for being a little tough. A lot of beloved proteins have defied similar weaknesses to feature in some of the best dishes a home cook can create. Even Julia Child's preferred beef for pot roast, for example, was none other than the otherwise tough bottom round. Pot roast is also an excellent touchstone when considering your blade chop options, as the tasty slab of swine also performs terrifically in a low, slow braise.

Searing your blade pork chops on the stove to bring about a bit of lovely Maillard reaction color is a great way to get them started. But as with the aforementioned pot roast, you're just browning before the real cooking begins. You'll ultimately want to bathe the chops with some aromatics in the cooking liquid of your choice (broth, stock, or even beer are all pretty common options) before you heat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and cook them for around an hour and a half. They should finish plenty tender with a concentrated pork flavor that you wouldn't get from a paler, leaner fillet.

You can also pop those blades in the slow cooker in a similar fashion, soaked in your liquid, replete with spices and seasonings. It will, as the appliance's name implies, take longer, but the extra half hour or so will create a result similar to the one that you would have gotten in the oven. Use the extra time to plan your perfect pork chop beverage pairing, or whip a last-minute side.