Paper Bag Pan-Fried Pork Chops
Liquid Gold & The Iron Skillet: Southern Pantry Foundations
This is an artifact from a time before pre-packaged shake-and-bake mixes, a direct culinary inheritance from the mid-century Southern kitchen optimized for a Midwestern weeknight. The brown paper bag isn't some rustic gimmick; it is a highly efficient tool that perfectly coats the meat and, crucially, wicks away grease after frying without trapping crust-killing steam. Spiked with hot sauce and shallow-fried in a cast-iron skillet laced with bacon fat, this is the unpretentious, deeply comforting taste of a grandmother's kitchen executed flawlessly and without fuss.
Before you start
Let the pork chops rest at room temperature for twenty minutes before cooking.
Taking the chill off the meat prevents the cold pork from violently dropping the hot oil's temperature, ensuring an even, golden fry.
Source two large, clean brown paper grocery bags.
One bag will be used as your shaking vessel for dredging the meat; the second bag should be torn open and laid flat on the counter for draining the finished chops.
Ingredients
- bone-in center cut pork chops4 med
- buttermilk1 cup
- Louisiana-style hot sauce1 tbsp
- all-purpose flour1 1/4 cup
- seasoned salt2 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- garlic powder1 tsp
- onion powder1 tsp
- smoked paprika1/2 tsp
- cayenne pepper1/4 tsp
- vegetable oil1/2 cup
- rendered bacon fat2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Whisk the buttermilk and hot sauce together in a wide, shallow bowl and submerge the pork chops.
Ensure both sides of the meat are coated in the acidic liquid, which gently tenderizes the pork while acting as the glue for our seasoned crust.
- 02
Combine the flour and all the dry spices in your first brown paper bag.
Add the flour, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper directly into the sack, fold the top over, and shake it vigorously to distribute the seasoning evenly.
- 03
Melt the vegetable oil and bacon fat together in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
You are looking for a frying temperature of roughly 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The grandmother's trick: drop a tiny pinch of flour into the skillet, and if it immediately sizzles and dances on the surface without burning, you are ready to fry.
- 04
Drop the damp pork chops into the paper bag one at a time and shake aggressively.
Lift a chop from the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, drop it into the bag, trap some air to create a balloon, and shake it up, down, and sideways for about ten seconds. Tap off any loose excess flour and move the chop to a clean plate.
- 05
Fry the breaded pork chops undisturbed for four to five minutes on the first side.
Lay them carefully into the hot oil away from your body, and do not crowd the pan; fry in two batches if your skillet is small.
- 06
Flip the chops and fry for an additional three to four minutes until deeply golden brown.
The meat is ready when the exterior is heavily crusted and the internal temperature hits a safe, juicy 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 07
Transfer the finished pork chops directly onto the torn-open second paper bag to drain.
Never use modern paper towels for this. The brown paper will aggressively wick away the excess frying fat without reflecting steam back into the meat, ensuring the crust remains shatteringly crisp while it rests.
Notes
Swap the buttermilk for a simple egg wash if your fridge is bare.
Whisking two beaten eggs with two tablespoons of milk or water is a highly traditional, Midwest-adapted substitution that forms a perfectly fine binder for the seasoned flour.
Use a gallon-sized plastic bag for dredging if you lack paper sacks.
You can shake the meat in a large Ziplock, but you absolutely must drain the finished chops on a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet to keep the crust crisp—again, no paper towels.
From Cook Southern Food.