Pecan Crusted Paleo Fried Pork Chops

Paleo, GAPS, Gluten free, Traditional Foods, Low Carb, Delicious!

Two unfortunate events combined to cause us to create the most delicious fried pork chops I’ve ever eaten in my life! These are far better than any traditional flour chops. If you just want the recipe and don’t’ want to read my story, scroll down to the bottom.

First, we were driving back to Pensacola from Tampa. If you’ve driven it, you know you drive North on I-75 and then change to I-10 West just above Lake City. Now, I generally do most of the driving, but I was tired and determined to get Niko to sub in more than 1 hour on the trip—so we changed drivers about 20 miles south of Lake City.

Once I got in the passenger seat, I decided to make use of my free time by returning some phone calls from potential patients and getting some snacks together. I busied myself with this for a little while. Then, once we’d had enough snacks and the phone calls were finished, I looked up to see where we were. I started thinking, “Seems like Niko’s been driving for a while and we should be on I-10 by now,” so I was just about to pull up my GPS to see how much farther when I saw: Valdosta Next 5 Exits. Uh-oh. For those who don’t know, that’s in Georgia—and definitely NOT on the way from Tampa to Pensacola, both of which cities are in Florida.

So to console ourselves, we stopped off at Big Rosie’s Pecan and fruit stand—where someone I’ll call Big Rosie informed us that the Pecan Meal/Flour they were selling could be used to fry fish, chicken or pork.

The second thing that happened is that we went to the Palafox Market in downtown Pensacola, as we do every Saturday morning. And as usual, we stop off to see what Roger has at the Green Cedars Farm stand. He has the best pork I’ve ever eaten. We bought our usual bone-in pork butt and decided to splurge on some chops.

Saturdays are often a long day out of the house for us, so we always bring multiple coolers to fill with our groceries. We packed the pork down into the ice and went on about our day. When we arrived home, all the meat had somehow frozen into the center of a giant iceburg—which I had to drop on the cement to break apart. When I got it all apart, I noticed that the pork chops had somehow managed to completely thaw while encased in ice. I’m sure someone who understands physics better than I can explain how you get a warm area in the center of a block of ice.

As a result of the chops thawing out, we decided we would have to cook them the very next day (today).

Since we just learned about frying in pecan flour, I decided to give it a shot. I couldn’t find any recipes, so I looked up several and came up with this one. These are honestly the absolute best pork chops I’ve ever eaten in my entire life! Juicy, flavorful with melt-in-your-mouth fat. The sweetness of the pecans plays perfectly off the porky, salty, pepperiness. Amazing! Enjoy.

You will need:

  • Meat thermometer
  • 2.5 lbs pork chops
  • ¾ c pecan meal
  • 1 egg, beaten or ¼ c raw milk
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 2 T ghee
  • 2 T butter

 

  1. Pour beaten egg or milk on one plate and pecan meal on the other.
  2. Heat coconut oil, ghee and butter in a cast iron pan over med-high heat till bubbling.
  3. Dredge chops in egg/milk and pecan meal.
  4. Place in hot fat.
  5. Cover top of chop with a crust of salt and pepper—nice and thick!
  6. When the bottom is good and brown, flip chops and turn down heat to medium.
  7. Start checking the temperature of your chops pretty frequently. Once they reach 135o, remove chops and place on cutting board for 10 minutes. The temperature of the chops will continue to rise as they sit. Do not skip this step, as it allows the juices to soak back in! Note: chops may cook at different rates, so be sure to check the temperature of each
  8. Pop on a plate with a delicious side and eat up!

Myths and Facts About Chinese Medicine Part I

Myths and Facts About Chinese Medicine

 

There are few things more misunderstood than Chinese Medicine is in the West. These days more and more people are hearing about and trying Chinese Medicine, most commonly Acupuncture, to treat their ills. As Chinese Medicine reaches into the mainstream, the misinformation is multiplying exponentially. I can’t speak to every errant idea out there, but I hope to cover some of the biggies in this article. If you’ve been wondering what the heck is going on with this seemingly mystical medicine, read on.

Myth: Acupuncture is Chinese Medicine

Fact: Chinese Medicine is a complete system of medicine, just like Western Medicine. It has a complete system of diagnosis and treatment for any possible dysfunction that may present. This is not to say that Chinese Medicine excels at treating every condition, just that it has a method of diagnosing and treating every condition.

Acupuncture is like the physical therapy of Chinese Medicine. It works with the nervous system, and its number one application is pain relief. In China, Acupuncturists are considered far less skilled than Herbalists.  All of the best and brightest doctoral candidates pursue Herbal Medicine.

Just as Western Medicine is comprised of both Physical Therapy and Medications, Chinese Medicine includes both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Most internal conditions, conditions that relate to organ function, overall circulation and non-musculo-skeletal conditions, are treated primarily with Herbal Medicine. Just like drugs in Western Medicine, herbs allow your Chinese Medicine practitioner to affect organ function, inflammation and circulation.

The other major areas of Chinese Medicine are heat therapy (moxabustion), massage and joint mobilization (Tui Na) and Nutrition. Nutrition is the most important, and most overlooked, aspect of medicine in general. No medical treatment can override what you put in your body multiple times per day if that food/beverage/substance is actively harming you. True health can only result from personal responsibility and a life that supports life.

Read Part II of this series

Read Part III of this series


12 Minute Oyster Soup

12 Minute Oyster Soup

serves 2

 

4 cups homemade fish stock

2 cups Backyard CSA seafood stock (or more fish stock if you don’t have Tiffani’s delicious seafood stock on hand)

1/3 lb shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 dozen oysters, in the shell, scrubbed clean

1/3 cup chopped chives

butter and sea salt to taste

 

Bring stock to a boil. Add mushrooms and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 7 mins (just enough time for the mushrooms to cook a little). Add oysters and simmer for 5 or so mins, until most of the oysters are cracked open. Add the chives in the last minute or two. Serve in large bowls with salt and butter to taste. Yum!