It is certainly hard to avoid that you notice how much I am a fan of the Spanish Duroc pig. Very, very early on – when I was still going to school every morning through my grandfather’s butcher’s shop, pig still tasted like pig.

When my grandfather died, the pleasure was over – and what was offered in many places as high-quality pork shrank to two thirds in the pan, was much too firm and tasted – let’s say neutral.

Nowadays I meet people who think that good pork – for example from organic pork – tastes somehow “peculiar”…well, it just tastes like pork as it should. We have become much too accustomed to foods that have little to do with their origin – that is really unfortunate and is especially noticeable when something real comes back on the plate.

So today was Duroc time again! This time I had chosen a so-called Spanish Rack. Of course, you can grill it as a whole or prepare it in the oven – but I personally am a big fan of grilled pork chops. That is also the reason why I “conjured” some strong Tomahawk`s out of the rack.

Now there are of course different suppliers when it comes to Duroc pork – I have already tried some of them and have to admit that the one from ESPAÑA ORIGINAL has tasted best so far. Basically, this is mainly because no matter which piece of this brand I have used so far, I have never been disappointed.

The meat is always slightly marbled, has a great aroma and, unlike the Iberic, has never been too fatty. Surely there will be more exclusive Duroc qualities, but in all probability not so easy to get hold of.

As always, I took the meat out of the fridge some time before using it, so that it was already at room temperature when I seasoned it. For the slices that I cut from the rack, I deliberately chose two different thicknesses.

On the one hand, I cut slices about 2 cm thick – they are quickly grilled and are still easy to handle even for “small people”. Three slices, however, I left 3-4 cm thicker – they were intended for people like me.

Since you should never – and I emphasize, NEVER – grill or fry the high-quality Durco to well-done, I find thick slices are much easier to get to the point. I recommend to cook the grilled chops up to 95% – that means you give a lot of heat to create the beloved roast aromas in a short time and then feel your way to the ideal cooking point.

Of course, you can also use a thermometer for this – but then the meat has to be “pierced” – that’s why I prefer the Australian method (the one with the ball of my hand) for determining the degree of cooking.

As with most of the meats I grill, I have only lightly salted the meat and sprinkled it with virgin olive oil before grilling. I have preheated the grill to 400°C to give the chops a proper “branding”.

The grilling time for the “thin” chops was about 1.5 – 2 minutes on each side, whereby I only turned the meat twice. With the stronger candidates it was a good 3 minutes in total per side. It is important here – as always when grilling – that the slices can be removed from the grill without force when you turn them.

If the meat doesn’t come off, it’s either too early or someone has cleaned your grill and freed it from all fat…which in itself would be a mortal sin…but that is another ting…

I always leave the finished chops to rest for 2-5 minutes (depending on the quantity) before serving – you can do that in a preheated oven at about 50°C, but you don’t have to. In any case, you will be thanked, because the meat juice will remain in the meat when cutting – which makes a big difference in terms of experienced pleasure.

The Duroc chops in that case were eaten without any side dish. As always, the meat tasted remarkably delicious – and it was still tasty, when eaten cold the next morning, which again told me a lot about the quality.

So you should have got an appetite and you want to try this Duroc meat, you can get it online at  genusswelt.de or at REWE & EDEKA (just ask directly at the service counters).

Enjoy it and let it taste good as always!