Hi there, it’s me again – Joy!

Remember the last time when we had this discussion that I introduced you about my favorite St. Lawrence market and how much I love this space!

Today, I am more than happy to share with you some useful tips regarding my choice of meat, or to be more specific, P-O-R-K.

You might ask the reason why I picked pork as my meat of choice. To be honest, simply since pork is very common and super popular back in my country because of two main reasons - the affordable price and also high quality post-product.

For those who are concerned, there are actually many types of pork in the world. Especially, pigs are usually raised in cooler climates than in warmer or hotter areas of the globe that they are very clean and intelligent animals that like to roam and forge for their food. Pigs like to wallow in the mud because that way can help them to protect their skin from sunburn. So, in the end, it’s all up to you how you want your product to be. From what I know, there are five main swine breeds in Canada including Yorkshire pigs, Landrace pigs, Duroc pigs, Hampshire pigs and Lacombe hogs, which is believed to result in larger litters of more vigorous pigs and hence, create more return on investment. Moreover, Toronto is called Hog Town because in 1860 the William Davies Company was the second largest pork processor on the continent, sold in St. Lawrence Market, now part of Maple Leaf Foods.

Digging deeper into the process of cutting, I would say it entirely depends on the part you chose such as Boston Butt; Loin; Shoulder; Belly; Leg, which in my case is pork loin or a T-shaped bone to be exact. This kind of pork is similar to the beef T-bone steak and usually served as an individual portion. You can easily find a delicious and sexy-looking piece of this in any market in Canada with price ranging approximately from $3.00 to $4.50 per pound. In my case, I bought 1.2 kg with only $8.93 at a Chinese market located on Spadina Avenue, which equally means it’s only $3.49 per bound! How great that is!

Keep in mind that pork should be cooked to 63 Celsius degree and held there for about 15 seconds. This temperature is believed to be still far above the temperature at which trichinae is killed off, while still allowing consumers to have juicy moist pork with the leaner meat that is available today.

And that’s all you need for a delicious and temptative piece of T-bone pork steak to enjoy a wonderfully beautiful sunny summer day in Toronto!

MAPLE BALSAMIC GLAZED PORK CHOPS

prep time :5 mins cook time: 9 mins total time: 14 mins

INGREDIENTS

PORK CHOPS:

4 bone-in, center cut pork chops
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

MAPLE BALSAMIC GLAZE:

1/4 cup maple syrup
3-4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp beef broth
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic smashed
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

- Make The Glaze:

In a small bowl, combine all the glaze's ingredients together and whisk until the mustard has dissolved.
Put into a small pot and heat over MED heat until it reaches a low boil. Cook until sauce reduces down, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

- Cook The Pork Chops:

1. Preheat stove to 400 degrees F with a cast iron skillet.

2. Dry pat chops with a paper towel, then rub them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Get the skillet out of the oven and place it on burner over MED_HIGH heat. Then place pat chops in the skillet and you will hear them sizzle right away. Give cook 2-3 minutes to sear.

4. Grill it until a thermometer inserted into the centre reads 14- degrees F (approximately 5-8 minutes depending on the thickness of your pork chops).