‘Jacked’ pork chops: The magic of curds and whey

Any good chef soaks up a lot of knowledge from peers and employees, said Gabriel Rucker in Le Pigeon (Ten Speed Press). At my restaurant in Portland, Ore., I learned a lot from my colleague Erik Van Kley, including this dish, which is “hands down the best pork chop I’ve ever tasted.” Preparation has to start a day in advance, but the finished dish is worth the trouble.

“The foundation is curds and whey”—made by adding vinegar and lemon juice to heated milk. The curds are saved for the bean salad, and the pork is brined in the whey. We say the meat has been “jacked,” and the flavor is “out of this world.”

Recipe of the week

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‘Jacked’ pork chops with green bean salad

For the pork:

• 2 qts whole milk
• ¼ cup kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• One 4-bone rack of pork loin, frenched
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto

For the pesto:

• ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted (skins removed)
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp hazelnut oil
• 1½ cups neutral oil

For the salad:

• 4 cups fresh green beans
• 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted (skins removed)
• 5 Calabrian chiles, seeded
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

In a heavy pot over high heat, bring milk to 175. Add salt, lemon juice, and vinegar. Turn heat off and let sit 30 minutes as curd and whey separate.

Line colander with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour in contents of pot and let curds drain completely, 5 minutes. Refrigerate liquid in bowl—the whey—for 20 minutes. Add pork, cover, and refrigerate 24 hours.

Place colander over another bowl. Fold cheesecloth around curds and press. Put a bowl with a weight in it on top of curds. Refrigerate 24 hours.

The next day, remove pork from whey, pat dry, and rub with olive oil. Wrap top of pork with prosciutto. Slice into four chops.

To make pesto: In a blender, puree hazelnuts with sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, garlic, and hazelnut oil. With motor running, drizzle in neutral oil until pesto-like. Season with salt.

To make salad: Prepare an ice water bath. Bring large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Blanch green beans until al dente, 2–3 minutes. Transfer beans to ice water to cool, 5 minutes. Remove beans and pat dry. Remove curds from cheesecloth. In a salad bowl, toss beans with hazelnuts, Calabrian chiles, and ½ cup crumbled curds. Season with salt, lemon juice, and 1⁄3 cup hazelnut pesto.

Preheat gas or charcoal grill to high. Grill chops for 5 minutes. Flip, then grill to medium doneness, 4 minutes more. Drizzle pesto over chops. Serves 4.