Chicken-Fried Pork Chops
- 22 saltine crackers, finely crushed
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more for seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more for seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground onion
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups plus 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 3 cups cold water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 6 bone-in pork rib chops (each 1/2-inch thick) or 6 boneless pork chops
Brine: Put the water in a large bowl and stir in the salt and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the ice cubes and submerge the pork chops in the brine.
Refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 4. Remove the pork chops from the brine, pat dry, and wrap in plastic wrap.
Store in refrigerator until ready to cook.
Flour Bread Mixture: In a shallow bowl combine the crushed crackers, 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, ground onion and baking powder.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/3 cup of milk.
Season pork chops lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides. Dust pork chops, one at a time, with the cracker-flour mixture and then dip in the egg mixture.
Dredge pork chops with the cracker-flour mixture a second time, pressing to coat, and shaking off any excess flour.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a large skillet with 2-inch deep sides. (The oil should be about 1/4-inch deep.)
Add the pork chops to the preheated oil, being careful not to over-crowd the pan. Pan-fry the chops for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the pork chops and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Place the pork chops on a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm while you make the gravy below.
Country Gravy:
- 1/2 pound bulk fresh sausage, such as Brown Sugar and Sage Breakfast Patties
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half, plus additional if needed
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Sausage fat or bacon fat, lard, or canola or safflower oil
In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula or fork.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat and discard. Reserve the fat in a cup for cooking chops.
Sprinkle the flour over the cooked sausage in the skillet; stir to coat. Gradually stir in the half-and-half, nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce.
Cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add more half-and-half if the sauce becomes too thick. Season, to taste, with salt, pepper and hot sauce.