This recipe sounded so good, and up through plating it & all of us sitting at the table to eat I was pretty darn sure it was going to TASTE good too. I mean look at it…
Yum, right?
But then I cut into it…
Mother Scratcher!
Pork is such a tricky little beast to cook sometimes. It can feel firm on the outside and still be nice & salmonella raw on the inside. Normally, I would just throw the chops back in the skillet & sulk a bit that they’ll be on the dry side now that they’ve been cut open but when P & I both cut into ours we didn’t immediately take them off our plates & the raw pork juice ran into the rice & veggies. I have a bit of raw meat paranoia & just couldn’t feed my family anything that was on the plates that had the raw meat juice. Which was basically everything.
So I made a few phone calls & 15 minutes later…
I thought about just ditching these photos since the meal wasn’t exactly what you’d call edible but it’s important to me to not put up this facade that I’m all glitter & rainbows suzy homemaker. This isn’t the first time I’ve screwed up a dinner & had to toss the whole thing & order takeout, and I’m sure it won’t be the last either. It happens but hey, that’s what take-out is for, right?
I will try the recipe again sometime because it smelled amazing & I’m dying to actually taste it (without inducing rampant diarrhea)
You can find it here.
This ever happen to you??
stuff like that has totally happened to me before and i thank you so much for posting this! we cant all be martha stewart 24/7… although we may try :o)
This happens to me with pork ALL THE TIME. I tend to stay away from pork just for this reason. Once, when I was cooking for my parents, I made a pork tenderloin that was a teensy bit pink in the middle and my dad was barely able to make his flight home the next day because he was so sick. I now only make super thin cut pork chops and I cook them about 5-10 minutes longer than required. I’d rather have a dry chop than an oinking one.
Ooooh, that recipe does sound so good. I hate cooking pork b/c I either overcook it (dry and rubbery) or undercook it. Thanks for keeping it real!
Yep, that definitely happens to me but my take out never looks that good. 🙂
I absolutely hate cooking pork chops for that very reason, but some of my recipes for them (Thanks Giada!) are just too darn yummy to not make occasionally!
Good luck next time!
I learned this from a website, but I can’t remember the name of the site. It works perfectly, though. I have started using it to make my turkey burgers, too, since they are about the same thickness as pork chops. This is for 3/4″ chops. Use a cast iron skillet over med-hi heat. Once pan is hot, add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add chops, careful not to crowd them. Turn the thickest parts inward. Sear the pork chops about 2 minutes on each side. Once you flip the pork chop, turn off the heat. Cover with foil and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness. If you are not using a cast iron skillet, follow the same directions, but instead of turning the heat off after the flip, turn it down to low and continue cooking 3-5 minutes. My pork chops and turkey burgers have cooked perfectly every time using this method.
Go to Williams Sonoma and get a meat thermometer. It has made all the difference for my husband when cooking meat (I don’t cook meat, I am more of a side dish/salad kind of girl). The thermometer has settings and will beep when the meat is at the proper temperature. And really, I love take out. No dishes, minimal effort, usually leftovers for lunch the next day.
I hate it when I ruin a meal! I have a fear of under-cooked meat as well and second the digital thermometer. I even use mine with my crock pot to keep from from drying out chicken. Last night I tried to make coconut butter in my vitamix. Not sure what went wrong, it never got creamy and the vitamix burned the coconut. Yep, it burned, in the blender… Who knew that would happen?
~JamieS
Rampant diarrhea! bahahaha! Yes, off the top of my head- I was cooking pork tenderloin and the pyrex pan EXPLODED. Like seriously, exploded- everywhere – into a gazillion pieces! It smelled and looked so good, but thought it best to not shred my families insides with glass shards, so take out it was!
You are hilarious! Thank you for being so real and honest, its’ hard being a mom and wife and you do it with humor and style- keep up the good work!
See now that is one of the reasons why pork is not welcome in my home anymore. (The other being that the older I get, the saltier pork begins to taste.) But bacon is still welcome! Your dish looks delicous!!!
LOVE, LOVE, the post I like how you put not everyone is PERFECT. What restaurant did the chicken salad with the onion rings come from?
well done for keeping it real.
Having a supply of take out menus too hand is an essential part of life! x
All you had to do is microwave the plates with the rice and veg and that would eliminate the raw juice issue. And, cover the meat and put in the oven for a little while to finish it off without making the outside any darker. Yes, a meat thermometer is probably a good idea. I have this problem more often with thick steaks and although my hubby and I like medium rare beef, inevitably I am having my parents for dinner, and Dad is a medium well kind of guy. 🙁 I am sure it was really good. One of my go-to meals that might taste similar is Rachel Ray’s moo-shu noodles. Look it up, it is really good. I use pork tenderloin and lots more green onion than it calls for…and, I add bean sprouts.
Ok…
a.) why didn’t I think of microwaving the entire plates, DUH! I’m so mad I didn’t think of that
and
b.) I LUVVV noodle dishes and will be looking that up asap
Thanks!