Pork chops make a comeback from their days as a Shake ‘N Bake standard
Trying new ways to prepare an inexpensive cut
It’s been more than 50 years since Shake ‘ N Bake first hit grocery shelves. The breadcrumb mixture that home cooks use to easily add a crust to baked chicken and pork became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring commercials that many of us can still quote to this day.
If you were a kid any time after 1965 — when General Foods debuted the product, later to be sold under the Kraft label — you, too, might remember shaking that night’s dinner in a bag. At some point, though, you might have fallen out of love with pork chops.
We ate a lot of Shake ‘ N Bake when I was a kid, but in college I decided that Shake ‘ N Bake pork chops weren’t gourmet enough for my culinary ambitions, so I nearly stopped buying the cut of meat altogether, in part because I didn’t know how to cook it any other way.
In the past year, however, I’ve had several pork choploving cooks in my life introduce me to new ways of preparing this inexpensive meat that’s easy to cook and easy to find.
My friend Julia buys thick cuts of pork chops ( or “pork steaks,” as she thinks of them) from local farmers and seasons the meat liberally with salt and pepper before searing it in a heavybottom pan. The quality of the meat makes a noticeable difference when you use a simple preparation like this, so it’s not a technique I use when cooking conventional pork chops from the supermarket.
Thin cutlets are my boyfriend’s childhood favourite, so we have been cooking them at least a few times a month.
He loves to use whatever marinades and sauces are in the fridge to soak the chops before searing them in a pan or grilling them over charcoal. We use the leftovers in breakfast tacos and with sautéed vegetables and pasta.
I’ve introduced my kids to the joys of a homemade version of Shake ‘ N Bake. They don’t get the reference when I shout, “And I helped!” but they gobble up the crispy cutlets that come out of the oven.
If you haven’t tried pasture- raised pork, it’s worth the extra bucks you’ll spend at a farmers’ market or specialty market, even if just for a special meal. The local pork, heritage breed or not, will have a completely different flavour than what you might have tried in the past. It’s fattier and richer, with a more nutty and distinct pork taste.
These recipes might give you a few new ideas for pork chops, whether you’re worki ng with conventionally raised pork and don’t mind adding a bit of a kick with a soy and whiskey sauce or you seek a more simple saltand-pepper chop paired with f l avour- packed balsamic roasted vegetables, a preparation ideal for showing off a more expensive, pastureraised meat. Another option from Augustus Ranch might inspire you to dry brine your next pork steak.
The homemade Shake ‘ N Bake recipe? That’s for throwback Thursday dinner night — but be sure to look up the old commercials on YouTube when you have your kids shake the bag.