Boneless center-cut pork loin chops are one of the butcher's best-kept secrets. Cooked the right way, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the complex flavor and juiciness for a fraction of the cost of a good quality steak.

When I can I get the butcher to cut me fresh 1-1/4 to 1-1/2" thick chops.  If he has to go back to the back and pull out a whole loin, make sure when he hands the chops to you that they aren't still frozen in the middle - this happened to me once and man what a disaster.

I tend to always play around with spices when I do pork chops - pork is an excellent pallete for spice experimentation.  Just remember, whatever you end up using, pork always benefits from the use of a sweet spice.

For these chops, I started with a base of olive oil, then used a mixture of Dizzy Dust , turbinado sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and sweet hungarian paprika, in mixture ratios of 1 : 0.25 : 0.25 : 0.25 : 0.25, respectively.

I cook thick-cut pork chops the same way I do a steak. i.e., I start with a high-temperature sear (but watch the chops carefully because you've used a sugar in your rub and don't want it to char too much), followed by a 20-minute rest at room temperature, followed by a 400 degree roast for roughly 6-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is about 140.  DON'T OVERCOOK THESE or you'll be eating well-seasoned shoe leather.  Before slicing, let the chops rest under foil for 3-5 minutes, which should bring their internal temperature closer to 145.  Also, if you happen to have some guava wood chunks  on hand, throw those on during the roast period.  Man, there is nothing better than guava wood smoke on pork chops!

For presentation purposes, and for ease of consumption, I like to serve the chops already sliced thinly on the guest's plate.  Make sure to warm your plate before plating the chops as serving this way will tend to cool off the pork more quickly.  This dish is also very good served with some warmed raspberry chipotle sauce on the side.

I'm telling you, for around $6.00/lb you can't beat these results for the price!!

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