Although marketers sometimes refer to pork as white meat, it is actually red. A truly versatile animal, almost every part of the pig is a delicacy, including the rib section of the loin -- the pork chop cut. Pork chops cook up juicy in the oven and become even tastier when you wrap them with bacon. The combination is a pork lover's dream, going from oven to plate in about 30 minutes or less.
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Step 2
Remove slices of bacon from their package. Set aside two to four strips of bacon for each pork chop you'll bake, depending on the size of the bacon.
Step 3
Wrap several strips of bacon around each pork chop. Secure the bacon with toothpicks as needed to be sure it doesn't unravel as it cooks.
Step 4
Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set the bacon-wrapped pork chops in a single layer in the pan.
Step 5
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Put the pork chops into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the center of the pork chops reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 6
Take the pork chops out of the oven, place the baking pan on a cooling rack and let the chops rest for three minutes. During this time, the meat's temperature stays constant or rises, which continues to destroy bacteria. Cooking pork chops to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and letting them sit for three minutes is just as safe as cooking the meat to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Step 7
Remove the toothpicks and serve.
Things You'll Need
Bacon
1-inch-thick pork chops
Nonstick cooking spray
Toothpicks
Baking pan
Aluminum Foil
Tip
Dress up the pork chops by scattering sliced onions, garlic and peppers around the pork chops for added flavor during baking.
Warning
Eating pork that is not well cooked may result in serious illness. Always test the center of pork chops to ensure that they have reached a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit before removing them from the oven.
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