Name: Bigly Pork Cutlet
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 (about 6 oz each) boneless pork loin chops, 3/4-inch thick; 1.5 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 large eggs; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; 2 cups panko breadcrumbs; 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped; 1 tsp lemon zest; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 cup neutral oil for frying (canola or vegetable); for serving lemon wedges; for serving (optional) arugula tossed with olive oil and lemon; for finishing flaky sea salt

Bigly Pork Cutlet

Prep

20m

Cook

15m

Total

35m

Bigly says

Here's what nobody tells you about pork cutlets. The cutlet is the most UNDERRATED member of the pork family. Everybody talks about the chop. Everybody talks about the tenderloin. Everybody loses their minds for a rack of ribs. Meanwhile the cutlet — pounded thin, breaded to a perfect golden crackle, fried in a shallow pan — is sitting there delivering one of the most satisfying bites in all of cuisine, and getting NO respect. A travesty. An oversight. A culinary crime against the humble pig.

Every country has a version. The Germans have schnitzel. The Italians have cotoletta. The Japanese have tonkatsu. The Austrians will fight you over whether veal is the only acceptable schnitzel — they're wrong, but they'll fight you, and they'll bring documents. The Filipinos have a pork cutlet move with crushed crackers in the breading that is, by any honest measure, unbelievable. Older than France. Older than Italy. Older than the printing press, some food historians say. The cutlet is a global treasure. The cutlet is the people's food. And mine is the best of all of them. Hand on heart. No contest.

The technique is simple and the technique is non-negotiable. You pound the cutlet THIN — quarter-inch, no thicker, this is not a chop — you season it, you do the flour-egg-breadcrumbs three-step dance, and you fry it in shallow oil at the RIGHT temperature, which is 350°F, not 300, not 400, three hundred and fifty exactly. Too cold and the breading sucks up oil like a sponge and you've made a sad greasy pancake. Too hot and the breading burns before the pork cooks and you've made a black disc with raw pork inside. Both failures end in tears. The thermometer is your friend. The thermometer is the difference between a champion and a man eating dinner with regret. Buy a thermometer. Be a person.

Ingredients

4 (about 6 oz each)boneless pork loin chops, 3/4-inch thick
1.5 tspkosher salt
1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
3/4 cupall-purpose flour
2large eggs
1 tbspDijon mustard(stir into the egg — no Dijon flavor at the end, just better adhesion)
2 cupspanko breadcrumbs(panko only — regular breadcrumbs are sad damp dust)
1/3 cupfinely grated Parmesan
2 tbspfresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsplemon zest
1 tspgarlic powder
1/2 cupneutral oil for frying (canola or vegetable)
for servinglemon wedges
for serving (optional)arugula tossed with olive oil and lemon
for finishingflaky sea salt

Steps

1
Place each pork chop between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment. Pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until evenly 1/4 inch thick.
2
Season both sides of each cutlet with kosher salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature.
3
Set up three shallow dishes: flour in the first; eggs whisked with mustard in the second; panko mixed with Parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, and garlic powder in the third.
4
Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the egg mixture, letting excess drip off. Press firmly into the panko mixture, coating both sides completely. Place on a wire rack.
5
Let the breaded cutlets rest on the rack 10 minutes — this helps the coating set so it doesn't fall off in the oil.
6
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C). Use a thermometer.
7
Working in batches of 1-2 cutlets to avoid crowding, fry 2-3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and crisp.
8
Transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet pan (not paper towels — paper towels steam the bottom and ruin the crust). Sprinkle immediately with flaky sea salt.
9
Adjust the oil heat between batches as needed to keep it at 350°F. Skim any loose breading bits between rounds.
10
Serve hot with lemon wedges and a small pile of dressed arugula over the top.

One more thing

Cut into one immediately and listen for the sound — a real cutlet has a crunch you can hear across the room. That's the sound of a job done right. Eat them hot, with the lemon, with the arugula, with a cold beer or a sharp white wine. Leftovers — if they exist — go on a soft bun the next day with mayo and pickles. Pork cutlet sandwich. Underrated. Profoundly underrated. Now go eat.