Now that we’ve perfected pan-searing beef, how hard could pork be? The answer: not very Indeed, the only difference between cooking a fat steak and cooking a fat pork chop lies in how to select it and the final temperature In the old days (i.e., before the 1990s), people in this country believed that all pork had to be cooked to at least 165°F in order to rid it of pesky worms that could infect you These days, our pork is just as safe as our beef, so you can cook it to medium or even medium-rare with confidence I like my pork best when it’s a rosy pink, 135° to 140°F When selecting pork chops, you’re likely to find four options at the butcher They’re all cut from the loin of the pig NAME DESCRIPTION BladeEnd Chop Cut from the front of the loin near the shoulder, it contains several muscle groups, all divided by swaths of fat This is my favorite cut, because it is self-basting It’s very hard to get a dry blade chop! Rib Chop Cut from farther back along the loin, this is the pictureperfect chop you’ll find at fancy restaurants It’s got a large, smooth eye of meat and is easy to cook evenly However, that eye of meat is relatively low in fat, making it easy to overcook, and relatively dry CenterCut Chop The equivalent of a T-bone steak, a center-cut pork chop contains part of both the loin and the tenderloin It’s impressive looking, but I find it very hard to cook evenly The tenderloin cooks faster than the loin, and the bone gets in the way, preventing you from ... CenterCut Chop The equivalent of a T-bone steak, a center-cut pork chop contains part of both the loin and the tenderloin It’s impressive looking, but I find it very hard to cook evenly The tenderloin...Rib Chop Cut from farther back along the loin, this is the pictureperfect chop you’ll find at fancy restaurants It’s got a large, smooth eye of meat... impressive looking, but I find it very hard to cook evenly The tenderloin cooks faster than the loin, and the bone gets in the way, preventing you from