Pan Fried Pork Chops with White Milk Gravy!

To be honest I normally cook my pork chops in the oven or grill them, but every once in a while I do indulge in a good old pan fried pork chop with some white gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits.  There just isn't a meal much more southern than that...except maybe fried chicken, white gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits.   Of course there is chicken fried steak, white gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits...see the pattern here...lol.  We southerners do love our gravy and biscuits.

First, we need to fry our pork chops.  I actually prefer the bone in chops for this because they just have more flavor, but I had boneless so that is what we are using and they work fine.  After rinsing the chops off, place them in a bowl with enough buttermilk to cover them all.  Place back in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour.

If you can get this House Autry pork breader where you live, I highly suggest trying it.  It is seasoned just perfectly and it puts a great coating on your chops that stays on them and crisps up really nice.  If you can't find it in your area, you might email the company and let them know. I couldn't find it here for some odd reason for a while and I emailed the company and within 1 month Walmart was carrying it. If you don't have access to it, you can mix about 2 cups of flour with 1/2 cup of cornmeal seasoned with 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder.   I do add about a 1/2 tsp of black pepper to the House Autry seasoning also, but it has enough salt and garlic seasoning.  Dredge your pork chops in which ever seasoning you are using and shake off the excess.  I fried about 7 boneless pork loin chops with a box of House Autry pork breader.  For pan fried chops I wouldn't recommend them to be over a 1/2 inch thick, less than that is better.  They will be too hard to get done if too thick.

Heat oil in a skillet just to cover the bottom on medium.  The pork chops should sizzle when you put them in.  Place them in the skillet leaving plenty of room.  Don't over crowd your pan.  Cook about 8 -9 minutes on each side.  Some recipes will tell you to cook them less time and I know they say pork can be eaten still 'pink' now days, but I like my pork done. 

Once you flip them, they should be nice and brown on one side.  Don't flip them more than twice, it makes your breading fall off.  If you are frying very many, you will probably have to do more than one pan full.  Remove the first batch and place on a paper towel lined platter. You might need to add a little oil to your pan after the first batch.  Be sure it's hot before adding the next  chops. 

Now, to make the white gravy, see those browned bits in the pan?  Leave them right there, they will make your gravy taste wonderful.  You probably won't have a lot of grease left in the skillet after frying the chops, if you have only been add just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet.  Add to whats left, 2 Tbs. bacon drippings. If you don't have bacon drippings, you can just add a little more oil, but  bacon drippings are what make the gravy so delicious.  If you don't understand where we get the bacon drippings when we haven't cooked any bacon in this entire recipe thus far, you are probably not from the south and don't know that most southern cooks collect and keep their bacon drippings for seasoning.  I know this is disturbing to some so I won't go further into the collection of bacon grease, but there is nothing you can buy on the shelf that seasons better than a spoonful of bacon grease. I don't recommend cooking with it daily or in huge quantities, but small amounts are a must in some things. 

Add 1/4 cup flour to the pan and whisk into the grease, cook for about a couple of minutes.  Slowly add 2 cups milk, continuing to whisk.  Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.

Bring this up to a boil continuing to whisk.  This will scorch if you don't move it around continuously.  Boil for about a minute just until it starts to thicken. Turn your heat to low and just let it simmer for a few minutes as it will continue to thicken even after it has been turned down.  Taste for seasoning, it might need a dash more salt and pepper.  There is nothing worse than white gravy not seasoned well enough. 

Whisk one last time and pour it up in a bowl. This is called sawmill gravy by some folks and it's the gravy we serve for breakfast with biscuits also, unless we make red eye gravy with country ham...that's a post for another day though.

Pan fried pork chops served with mashed potatoes, white milk gravy and biscuits...comfort food at it's best!