Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

One of the good things about being sick is that I spend a lot of time on the couch with my laptop, without the attention span or motivation to do any real work. It's a great opportunity to catch up on some of my long-overdue food blogging. (If I'm a little incoherent today, please forgive me--I'm on as big a dose of cold medication as is permitted by the dosage guidelines, and it makes me a wee bit loopy.)

I like pork chops, but the few times I've tried cooking them at home in the past, they've come out dry and tough. Not, as Alton Brown would say, good eats. But I've made these pork chops (from the January/February Cook's Illustrated) twice now, and they've come out great both times. The secrets: a short (30 minute) brine and a not-too-long stint in a hot oven. The coating is delightfully substantial and sticks like glue to the chop, thanks to an ingenious batter of flour, mustard, and egg whites. And setting the chops on a wire rack during baking ensures that the breading doesn't go soggy on the underside of the chop.

A few notes: the toasted bread crumb mixture can be prepared up to 3 days in advance; the breaded chops can be frozen for up to 1 week and tossed straight from the freezer into the oven (but you will need to extend the cooking time from 17-25 minutes to 35-40 minutes). If you're using "enhanced" pork (injected with salt solution) rather than natural pork, skip the brine--or at least do it for a minimal amount of time, lest the chops end up too salty. Finally, this recipe is very forgiving. Seasonings can be altered and proportions fudged without too much of a change in the finished product, so don't worry if you don't have, for example, a bunch of garlic but no shallot, or vice versa.

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Serves 4

4 boneless, center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1" thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty sandwich bread, torn into 1" pieces (original recipe calls for white bread, but I used whole wheat with excellent results)
1 small shallot, minced (~2 tablespoons)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (~1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges for serving

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350F. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt (yes, 1/4 cup) in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley and set aside.

Increase oven temperature from 350F to 425F. While it's coming to temperature, place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate (or shallow bowl). In another pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining. (The mixture should look like something you would have made as a small child and gleefully presented to your mother or father as your latest "invention.")

Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray (or don't--I didn't, and I haven't had any problems) and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with salt and pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that a thick layer of crumbs adheres to the chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining chops.

Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150F, 17-25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.