Home cooks love regular-cut pork chops because they’re cheap and quick-cooking. They’re also easy to overcook—the thin cut means they dry out faster, leaving you with tough, chewy meat if you’re not careful.
That’s why we used thick-cut pork chops in this pork steak, or pork bistek: they’re juicier, more tender, and extra flavorful. By thick-cut, we mean chops that are at least an inch thick, like a steak. To prepare them, start by searing the pork chops until golden brown on both sides. Caramelize some white onions, use that as a base for the bistek sauce, then return the pork chops to simmer until medium.
Tips for caramelizing onions
Caramelized onions take patience and technique to get right. If you’ve never done it before, here are some tips to ease you into it.
Slice onions at the right thickness
Aim for about ⅛-inch thick sliced onions. This thickness allows them to cook evenly and caramelize properly without turning mushy or burning too quickly. Paper-thin slices can burn easily and lose their shape; onions that are too thick will take longer to caramelize. Inconsistent slices won’t cook evenly.
A mandoline slicer will give you those perfect sliced onions with speed and consistency. Or do it the old-fashioned way with a sharp knife!
