A Tale of Two Pork Chops

Hey Thursday friends,

I want you to look at that pork chop above. I seasoned it with kosher salt, coarsely ground coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and black pepper and cooked it in a cast-iron skillet. It was caramelized on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside.

Now I want you to look at the pork chop below.

I cooked it exactly the same way and achieved exactly the same results.

So what’s the difference?

The one on top is smaller, for sure. The one on the bottom has a more prominent bone. Both of them have a gorgeous sear (thank you, thank you). The one on top has Brussels sprouts, the one on the bottom has Delicate squash cooked in butter and deglazed with apple cider vinegar. The one on top I served to friends a few weeks ago, the one on the bottom we ate last night.

So where am I going with all this?

What if I told you that the one on top cost $20 and the one on the bottom cost $5.75?

That seems unbelievable but it’s true: I just looked it up online to confirm and that’s pretty much what I paid for these two cuts of meat.