How Do You Fry Pork?

There are more than 20 different ways to fry pork. It all depends on the cut of meat that we have available and our preference on a given time. For example, pork chops can be breaded and then deep fried, while pork belly is best done crispy. This means that it has to be boiled, seasoned, and deep fried until a crispy and crunchy texture is achieved. There are also times when it all depends on our mood or whether we have enough time to do the activity. On a lazy day, I just rub salt all over it and fry the pork directly in hot oil.

Although I really love to cook and might have tried some ways of frying pork (whether it is the simple way or otherwise), I know that there are still some pork frying methods that I have not tried or that are new to me. You might know better.

I am curious. Can you tell me the different ways on how you fry pork?

Let me go first. Here are some ways that I fry pork:

Rub with salt and dredge in flour

I do this on busy days when I have lesser time to spend in the kitchen, and needed a quick chow. Salt is rubbed all over the pork and then I dredge it in flour. The pork is pan fried until it browns. The flour prevents the oil from splattering and it also gives my fried pork a nice texture. This method works with pork belly (I prefer it sliced into individual pieces), or with pork chop. It is also perfect for pork shoulder and tenderloin.

Fry in own fat

There are times when Fried pork is needed as an ingredient in some dishes that I prepare; Apan-apan is a good example. Small pieces of fried pork are added to enhance the dish and make it taste better. The pork pieces are placed directly on a hot wok or pan. The heat extracts the oil from the pork and it accumulates later-on enough to fry it.

Boil, Season, and Deep Fry

There are times when pork needs to be boiled before frying. Boiling makes it tender and gives is a more crisp texture when fried later on. This is true to dishes such as lechon kawali and crispy pata. Both these crispy pork dishes needed to be boiled first and then deep fried to attain that nice texture. Seasonings such as salt and pepper are rubbed before deep frying the pork.

Bread and Deep Fry

I adore deep fried breaded pork chop. I like how its nice and crunchy in the outside while moist and juicy in the inside. The pork is seasoned and then dipped in beaten egg and then dredged in flour. I do the dipping and dredging twice for best results. This is a regular thing once every two weeks, just like how ginisang monggo is any given Friday.

Tonkatsu Style

Similar to breaded pork, Tonkastu style pork is cooked the same way. The difference is the type of breading used. This method uses Panko breadcrumbs. Pork Loin Tonkatsu is a dish that I made using this method. I like how moist the pork gets while I get a crunch in every bite.

Fry directly in oil

When I get really lazy or if I just want simple fried pork, I go for this method. Season the pork chop and fry directly in oil. You can also simply fry it directly without any seasoning – dip it in ketchup later-on or in ponzu (toyo + calamansi) for extra flavor. Fried pork chops fall into this category.