Belle Southern Fried Pork Chops
If you’re from the South, you’ve probably had a pork chop cooked right. I’m not talking about coating them in garlic and Italian herbs or balsamic glaze. No, I’m talking about true, honestto-goodness Southern Fried Pork Chops like your mama and grandma used to make when you were a little kid.
It seems like it would be simple to fry pork chops the Southern way. Just dip them in flour and drop them in a hot skillet with a little grease, and bam! Right? Wrong.
Frying like this is a surprising delicate process that requires you to focus on two things in particular: timing and temperature. Flip the chop too soon and you’ll lose every bit of breading you put on it. Let your skillet get too hot, and you’ll have burnt skin and an uncooked middle.
My advice is to never turn your burner up beyond the middle heat setting and to wait until the chop flips easily, without any sticking, before attempting to flip it over onto the opposite side. For a more precise temperature gauge, do not cook the chops in oil hotter than 350°F. If you’re worried about doneness, the internal temperature of the chop after cooking should be 145°.
Want to make your own Southern Fried Pork Chops? Here’s what you need:
♦ 4 boneless pork chops
♦ 1 cup all-purpose flour
♦ 1 tablespoon garlic powder
♦ 1 tablespoon onion powder
♦ 1 tablespoon paprika
♦ 1/2 cup whole milk
♦ 1 egg
♦ Salt
♦ Pepper
♦ Canola oil (for frying)
Here’s how you cook them:
1. Fill a skillet or frying pan halfway full with canola oil and heat on the stovetop until the oil itself reaches 350°F. If you do not have a cooking thermometer that can measure this, a good tip is to dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. If it starts to bubble, the oil is hot enough for frying.
2. While the oil heats, whisk the egg and milk together in a large, flat container. This will be the first half of your dredging station, so make sure whatever container you use is big enough that you can dip and fully submerge chops in the liquid. Prepare the dry half of the dredging station by mixing the flour, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper together on a plate. This will serve as the breading for the outside of the pork chop.
3. Select a pork chop and dip it first into the flour mixture, then dip it into the egg mixture before coating it for a second time in the flour mixture. Make sure the surface is evenly covered and use your hands to press the flour into the meat, ensuring you will have a nice crust later on. Repeat with the remaining chops.
4. Once all the chops have been dredged, the oil should be hot enough for frying. Add your chops into the oil carefully and allow them to fry for about 15 minutes. Carefully flip them over and fry for another 10 minutes. Timing will vary here based on the temperature you are cooking at, however, you will know the chop is done when a chop cut through the middle is white and not pink.
5. Allow the chops to rest for five minutes on a plate covered with paper towels. Serve.
Kelcey Walker is a reporter for the Calhoun Times. She was born in North Carolina and raised in Georgia. After spending the last three years in Los Angeles, she’s pretty stoked to be back in the South, where the food is good and the people are friendly. You can email her at
KWalker@CalhounTimes.com.