Breaded Pork Chops

Method

1. Trim very thick outside fat from the chops. Place between sheets of baking parchment and pound gently to an even 1 cm thickness; do not hammer until the meat tears. Cut two small snips through any tight outer fat strip to reduce curling.
2. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set up three shallow dishes: flour in the first, diluted beaten eggs in the second, and breadcrumbs mixed with paprika and garlic powder in the third.
3. Dredge each chop lightly in flour and shake off excess. Dip in egg, then press into breadcrumbs on both sides and around the edge. Keep one hand for wet work and one for dry coating to prevent a thick paste building up on your fingers.
4. Rest the breaded chops on a rack for 5 minutes while heating about 1 cm oil in a broad heavy frying pan to 170–175°C. Keep the oil below halfway up the pan and leave enough room to turn food without splashing.
5. Fry two chops at a time for roughly 3–4 minutes on the first side. Turn and cook the second side for another 2–3 minutes. Adjust heat to maintain gentle bubbling and a golden, not dark brown, crust.
6. Check the thickest centre reaches at least 63°C. Transfer to a clean rack and rest for at least 3 minutes before serving. If the crust colours before the centre is ready, finish in a 160°C oven rather than burning the crumbs in hotter oil.
7. Repeat with the remaining chops, removing burnt crumbs from the oil between batches. Serve with lemon wedges and vegetables prepared separately. Discard leftover flour, egg and crumbs that contacted raw pork; they are not clean pantry ingredients.