what about the pork chop?

Pig parts are in: offal, odd cuts, improved cooking techniques, salting and brining, making salumi, BBQ and whole hog cookery. People are marveling over sucklings, rhapsodizing about heritage breeds, and we're just seeing a devotion to all things porcine. It's been building for the past couple of years and now it seems safe to say that the pig has displaced the cow as the animal of choice in the kitchen. With so many approaches and techniques to choose from we often forget the basic cut, the one that started the show, the chop. One of the enticing things about pork is that the fat is so flavorful. A great chop strikes a balance between fat and meat with enough marbling in the center to make it tender and juicy and a thick enough fat layer on the outside to form a well seasoned, caramelized crackling. I was inspired to see that chops on Aki's grocery list (she knew I was going to be by the pork store), so much so that I actually remembered to get what was written. The list started with pork chops. The end result, a fabulous dinner.