As with any meat or fish, selecting high quality, free-range pork chops is always going to give you the tastiest result. Look out for specialist breeds such as Tamworth or Saddleback for something really special. Choose a bone-in chop – this will help prevent the pork from drying out, which is a common problem with pork chops. Cooking on the bone will also infuse the chop with more delicious porky flavour.

You’ll often find paltry 1cm-thin chops in supermarkets – avoid these, and don’t settle for anything less than 1-inch thick chops – centre-cut is best. This is because the fat needs time to render down to get that lovely golden crust, otherwise you get a mouthful of hard, flabby, tasteless fat (which is often left on the plate). If the chop is too thin, the meat will overcook and dry out whilst the fat is rendering (which can take up to 20 minutes). If you tend to avoid eating the fat anyway, then take a look at the video above, which demonstrates a quicker method of cooking pork chops.

The brining in the video above is also optional, but if you have the time, a quick brine ensures a juicy, tender chop with even seasoning throughout. Half an hour will do the trick, but feel free to leave them brining for a couple of hours for maximum effectiveness. You can also add aromatics at this stage if you’re looking for a particular flavour. Our rosemary and sage brine or Sichuan peppercorn brine are both recommended with pork.

If you want to really cook a pork chop to perfection, however, the basic recipe below will produce perfect results every time.