Broiled Pork Chops

Okay, well, there was one more thing I was doing while lazing about the house last weekend: cooking! One thing that trying to eat more Paleo food has done is encouraged me to cook more, in general. I know there are lots of Paleo-followers out there who swear by leftovers as a way to make it through the week. More power to them, but I'm pretty picky about left-overs. I really hate it when food's flavor changes after having been reheated.  I think flavor-changing is a problem that is particularly pronounced with meat!

So, I'm always on the lookout for quick and easy meat, especially when you can get it in a single-serve portion. In my olden days, this meant boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fish sticks, and chicken fingers. In my new days, it meant chicken breasts. And more chicken breasts. Until, one day, I was at the grocery store and noticed several packages of boneless pork chops. Since I grew up in a house where pork chops are bone-in and breaded, I definitely didn't buy right away. But, I came home, did some research, spoke with a friend who happens to be a meat-cooking virtuoso and finally decided to take the plunge.

Cooking these pork chops was so easy and easily Paleo, so I decided to share my technique!

First, I made a marinade. I added rosemary to olive oil. The only thing not pictured is the spoon I used to mix it up!

I marinated the pork for less than 30 minutes in this solution. You could probably do it for longer - I was pretty hungry! Once I put the pork on the baking sheet, I noticed there was some extra marinade in the dish. I recommend that you discard that or save it... whatever you do, don't pour it on! I did, and it wound up just adding a lot of smoke.

I broiled the pork in my lovely toaster oven - you guys know I'm obsessed - for 7 minutes a side! And here's how it looked:

You might be noticing some cuts in the pork - I definitely "Chef Ramsay'ed" this dish. I cut it open in a few different spots to make sure it was done. I don't have an instant read meat thermometer, though I certainly would have used it if I had! I'd have made sure that the internal temperature reached the guideline mentioned on the package. Instead, I had to hack it apart to make sure it wasn't too pink, and it wasn't. Success!

So, I paired it up with a little broccoli (with goat cheese, pine nuts and olive oil) and flipped it over to de-emphasize the hack marks from the fork and knife I used to cut it open. What a lovely little dinner it made!