ottawa foodies

When it comes to pork chops, butchers and grocery stores seem to focus on thick, lean, and pretty tasteless loin chops that become terribly dry if cooked past medium. That's all very well but my preference is for the polar opposite: thin, fatty, and flavourful shoulder chops.

I was lucky enough to find these delicious, nicely marbled shoulder chops at the Food Basics in Kanata a month ago. Marinated for a few hours Portuguese style with salt, pepper, loads of sliced garlic, crumbled bay leaves, and white wine, then grilled dangerously close to hot coals until the fat got crispy. Spectacular!!

I haven't seen this cut anywhere since. Have you?

I bought some shoulder chops from a pork farmer near Perth (along with a half a pig). The chops were thick with a big fat cap. Delicious.

I like braising or smoking this cut. "Value packs" for $2.99/lb are advertised in the current Metro flyer.

Are those ... vegetables I see on the plate? Please tell me that they're only an ornamental garnish.

Regardless, overlooking the above for the purposes of photography, those chops look really yummy.

Pretty sure Metro Island Park has that regularly but I might be thinking of lamb chops (100% certain on that one). I will check next time I am there.

panfishpete, you got it. Thanks for the tip!!

Rizak, as a vegetarian friend once liked to say, “The reason I'm vegetarian isn't because I like animals, it's because I hate vegetables.” Also, salads with grilled meats are one of my all-time favourite meals ever. I'm happy to skip carbs when eating meat (and vice versa).

zymurgist, looks like we already confirmed that Metro carries them. Lamb chops are something I should experiment with one day!

One thing I learned is that pork shoulder chops are called pork steaks in parts of the USA. And some people feel pretty strongly about the terminology: www.riverfronttimes.com

I got a great pork steak at Porc Meilleur at the Jean Talon Market. Everything I got from there has been delicious and well priced. I especially like their ground pork.