You can combine the beans with the molasses water, pork, and onion in a Dutch oven or baking dish and put it directly in the oven to cook for several hours. Or, you can sauté the pork and onions first, then add the beans and the molasses water, and bring it all to a simmer before transferring it to the oven. The cooking vessel is kept uncovered in both cases, and all you need to do is check the beans from time to time and add some of the leftover bean-cooking liquid (and, when that runs out, boiling water) if the beans on top are drying out too much. The advantage of the first option is that it requires the least work. And, ultimately, all the browning and the crust that forms on top of the beans add plenty of deep flavor, rendering the sautéing of the pork and onion beforehand mostly unnecessary. But one thing I found beneficial about starting on the stovetop is that it kicks off the subsequent oven cooking at full speed: You can bring the liquid to a simmer much faster on the stovetop than you can in a moderate oven, which means the beans are already chugging along by the time you put them to bake. That leads to faster development of a deep, flavorful browned crust on top, which I think is worth it. Therefore, that’s what my recipe calls for, though, if you’re in a rush, know that you can skip it.

One important detail: Make sure to add enough liquid to the beans to just barely cover the ones at the top.

Now your beans are in the oven, set to about 325°F. Time to wait.

Has it been a while? Go take a look. If the cooking liquid has evaporated and the topmost beans look like they’re at risk of drying out, just add more of the bean-cooking liquid. If and when you run out of bean-cooking liquid, switch to boiling water.
Now go wait again.

Bored? Maybe check on the beans. This is going to be your life for the next four hours or so, if not longer. Mostly, it’s just a balancing act between preventing the liquid from getting so low that the top beans dry out, and keeping it so high that those top beans can’t develop a flavorful crust.

Once or twice during cooking, I’ll even give it a stir, just to submerge the topmost beans and bring some of the ones from below up to the surface. Just like in a cassoulet, breaking the crust and stirring it into the beans gives that flavor deep roots.

During the final hour or so, when the beans have become supremely tender and, hopefully, just a few are breaking apart, you’ll want to let the liquid recede without topping it up—remember, the goal isn’t bean-y broth, it’s saucy beans. With all that pork fat and cooking liquid, your finished beans may still look a little greasy and brothy at first. A good stir should help emulsify the pork fat, whip up some of the free bean starch, and form a nice glaze. If the beans are too dry, add some hot water—or leftover bean-cooking water, if you still have some—until they’re just saucy enough. If they’re too wet and you’re tired of waiting for them to finish in the oven, you can always bring the pot (assuming you’re using a pot) to a simmer on the stovetop to reduce the liquid a little, though this was not a situation I ever ran into while testing.

At this point, adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or fresh black pepper if needed. If the beans are a little too sweet for your taste, you can add a sparing splash of cider vinegar to balance the flavor, though I never felt my beans really needed it. The final stew I ended up with was creamy, rich, and saucy, with a sweet-and-savory balance that was good enough to name a town after.

I was in a Beantown all my own, and it was lovely.

The advantage of the first option is that it requires the least work. And, ultimately, all the browning and the crust that forms on top of the beans add plenty of deep flavor, rendering the sautéing of the pork and onion beforehand mostly unnecessary. But one thing I found beneficial about starting on the stovetop is that it kicks off the subsequent oven cooking at full speed: You can bring the liquid to a simmer much faster on the stovetop than you can in a moderate oven, which means the beans are already chugging along by the time you put them to bake. That leads to faster development of a deep, flavorful browned crust on top, which I think is worth it.

Dry the chops. Give the pork chops a pat dry with some paper towels. This removes excess moisture from the pork chops so the surface doesn’t steam instead of caramelize.
Oil and season. Give the pork chops a rub down with some oil (this promotes even browning) then rub on the good stuff: salt, pepper, rosemary, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes.
Air fry. Cook the pork chops for 12 minutes at 400°F, flipping halfway, or until the inside temp reaches 145°F.
Rest. Remove the chops from the fryer (so they don’t over cook in the residual heat) and let rest for a couple minutes, then enjoy the juiciest pork chops you’ll ever eat!
Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
Most of the time I say that you don’t need to, but we did some A/B testing and preheating the air fryer when cooking pork chops led to juicier chops. Preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F.

How long to cook pork chops in the air fryer?
Boneless thick cut pork chops: Air fry at 400°F for 10-12 mins, depending on size, flipping halfway.
Bone in thick cut pork chops: Air fry at 400°F for 12-14 mins, depending on size, flipping halfway.
You want to air fry the chops until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Sometimes I even pull pork chops out when they reach 140°F because the carry over heat while they’re resting will bring them up to temp. The best way to check is to use an instant read thermometer.

Keto recipes for keto friendly food that’s so good, you won’t even know it’s keto.

Are you feeling a bit fluffy from all that holiday feasting? Get your a start on your keto/low-carb eats with these amazing recipes. So good you won’t miss the carbs!
Pork Chops
Air fryer pork chops coming in hot and fast with the flavors of Italian porchetta!

Do you ever wander by someone’s house and smell what they’re cooking for dinner? Every time Mike and I smell someone’s cooking and it smells good, we turn to each other and say, “PORK CHOPS!” To be honest, it’s probably not pork chops at all but Mike is low-key obsessed with pork chops and it’s a funny little thing we do.

Anyway, both Mike and I love pork chops. What’s not to love about a thick cut of juicy pork? There are a couple of secrets to making the best pork chops and I’m going to share them ALL with you.

Tonkatsu, for the uninitiated, is panko-crusted, deep fried pork cutlet. It’s crispy, crunchy, juicy and so, so delicious. Tonkatsu is basically a Japanese take on schnitzel. It’s typically served with fluffy white rice, piles and piles of finely shredded cabbage, pickles, and miso soup. Usually, you pick between rosu-katsu (loin) or hire-katsu (filet). Rosu is juicier and has more marbling whereas hire is a bit more lean. It’s funny, because when you look at a tonkatsu menu, you might think that everything looks the same (a la that scene in Lost in Translation), but really all the cuts taste different. Really though, you can’t go wrong with crispy juicy deep fried pork and addictive tonkatsu sauce. And ooh, don’t get me started on the sesame seeds – they give you a little mortar and pestle for you to grind your own sesame seeds to add to the sauce. Heaven. There are a ton of tonkatsu specialty houses (Maisen, Butagumi, Kimukatsu, Tonki), but we like visiting the Wako in Mark City.

2 pork chops center cut, 1.5-2 inches thick
1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds crushed and divided
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley loosely packed
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano preferred
1/2 tsp coriander seeds crushed
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon zested and juiced
Special Equipment
air fryer

Instructions
Let the pork chops temper in a cool spot in your kitchen for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F. Make a rub: in a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper with the chopped rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes, if using.
Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel. then rub them generously with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Coat them with the rub.
Place the chop in the air fryer at 400°F and cook for 12 minutes, flipping halfway, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
While the chops are cooking, make the salsa verde: combining the remaining oil, parsley, Parmigiano, coriander seeds, remaining fennel seeds, garlic, and lemon zest and juice in a blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Tonkatsu, for the uninitiated, is panko-crusted, deep fried pork cutlet. It’s crispy, crunchy, juicy and so, so delicious. Tonkatsu is basically a Japanese take on schnitzel. It’s typically served with fluffy white rice, piles and piles of finely shredded cabbage, pickles, and miso soup. Usually, you pick between rosu-katsu (loin) or hire-katsu (filet). Rosu is juicier and has more marbling whereas hire is a bit more lean. It’s funny, because when you look at a tonkatsu menu, you might think that everything looks the same (a la that scene in Lost in Translation), but really all the cuts taste different. Really though, you can’t go wrong with crispy juicy deep fried pork and addictive tonkatsu sauce. And ooh, don’t get me started on the sesame seeds – they give you a little mortar and pestle for you to grind your own sesame seeds to add to the sauce. Heaven. There are a ton of tonkatsu specialty houses (Maisen, Butagumi, Kimukatsu, Tonki), but we like visiting the Wako in Mark City.

2 pork chops center cut, 1.5-2 inches thick
1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds crushed and divided
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley loosely packed
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano preferred
1/2 tsp coriander seeds crushed
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon zested and juiced
Special Equipment
air fryer

Instructions
Let the pork chops temper in a cool spot in your kitchen for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F. Make a rub: in a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper with the chopped rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes, if using.
Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel. then rub them generously with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Coat them with the rub.
Place the chop in the air fryer at 400°F and cook for 12 minutes, flipping halfway, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
While the chops are cooking, make the salsa verde: combining the remaining oil, parsley, Parmigiano, coriander seeds, remaining fennel seeds, garlic, and lemon zest and juice in a blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Dry the chops. Give the pork chops a pat dry with some paper towels. This removes excess moisture from the pork chops so the surface doesn’t steam instead of caramelize.
Oil and season. Give the pork chops a rub down with some oil (this promotes even browning) then rub on the good stuff: salt, pepper, rosemary, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes.
Air fry. Cook the pork chops for 12 minutes at 400°F, flipping halfway, or until the inside temp reaches 145°F.
Rest. Remove the chops from the fryer (so they don’t over cook in the residual heat) and let rest for a couple minutes, then enjoy the juiciest pork chops you’ll ever eat!
Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
Most of the time I say that you don’t need to, but we did some A/B testing and preheating the air fryer when cooking pork chops led to juicier chops. Preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F.

How long to cook pork chops in the air fryer?
Boneless thick cut pork chops: Air fry at 400°F for 10-12 mins, depending on size, flipping halfway.
Bone in thick cut pork chops: Air fry at 400°F for 12-14 mins, depending on size, flipping halfway.
You want to air fry the chops until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Sometimes I even pull pork chops out when they reach 140°F because the carry over heat while they’re resting will bring them up to temp. The best way to check is to use an instant read thermometer.

Keto recipes for keto friendly food that’s so good, you won’t even know it’s keto.

Are you feeling a bit fluffy from all that holiday feasting? Get your a start on your keto/low-carb eats with these amazing recipes. So good you won’t miss the carbs!
Pork Chops
Air fryer pork chops coming in hot and fast with the flavors of Italian porchetta!

Do you ever wander by someone’s house and smell what they’re cooking for dinner? Every time Mike and I smell someone’s cooking and it smells good, we turn to each other and say, “PORK CHOPS!” To be honest, it’s probably not pork chops at all but Mike is low-key obsessed with pork chops and it’s a funny little thing we do.

Anyway, both Mike and I love pork chops. What’s not to love about a thick cut of juicy pork? There are a couple of secrets to making the best pork chops and I’m going to share them ALL with you.