Pork shoulder chops is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 7 recipes to get you started.

What are pork shoulder chops?

Pork shoulder chops are chops cut from the shoulder end of the pig rather than the loin. They are also sold as blade chops or pork steaks, and they are a different animal from the lean loin chops most people picture when they hear pork chops.

The difference is fat and connective tissue. Shoulder chops are marbled, a little chewy, and threaded with collagen, which makes them tougher than a loin chop but far more flavorful and much harder to dry out.

For the general chop basics, see pork chops. This page is about what makes the shoulder version its own thing.

How to Cook Pork Shoulder Chops

Treat these like a small pot roast, not a quick grill chop. The collagen that makes them chewy only softens with time and moisture, so braising is the move. Brown them first, then simmer them in liquid for forty-five minutes to an hour and a half until they turn tender.

They take a hot, fast cook too, as long as you slice against the grain afterward. Barbecue-Style Pork Steaks and Pork Chops with Olives both lean into the rich, marbled meat, while Crock Pot Chop Suey uses the slow-cooker route to break the cubes down completely.

The cut forgives a lot. Overshoot a braise by ten minutes and a shoulder chop stays juicy where a lean loin chop would already be dry.

Pairing and the Main Pitfall

The richness wants something sharp against it: barbecue sauce, mustard, vinegar, apple, sauerkraut, or tomato all cut through nicely.

The one real pitfall is cooking them like loin chops. Grilled fast to 145°F (63°C) and served straight, a shoulder chop is chewy and full of tight gristle.

Either braise it long enough for the collagen to melt, or grill it and slice it thin across the grain. Splitting the difference leaves it tough.

Substitutes

A bone-in pork chop from the loin will stand in for a quick sear, but expect leaner, less forgiving meat that dries out faster. Pork blade steaks are essentially the same cut sliced thicker and are a direct swap.

For a braise, any chunk of pork shoulder works, and country-style ribs from the same shoulder end behave identically. Beef chuck steak is the cross-species match if you want the same marbled, slow-cooked result.

Buying and Storing Pork Shoulder Chops

Look for chops with clear marbling and a visible section of blade bone; that bone and the surrounding fat are signs you have the real shoulder cut, not a lean loin chop mislabeled. Thicker chops, around an inch (2.5 cm), braise better without overcooking.

Raw shoulder chops keep three to four days in the coldest part of the fridge and freeze well for four to six months, wrapped tightly. Because they are fattier, they tolerate freezing better than lean chops do.

Cooked, they keep three to four days and reheat best in their braising liquid, which keeps the meat moist. Like most braises, they often taste better the next day once the flavors settle.

Quick facts

In Chinese

猪肩印章

British (UK) term

Pork shoulder chops

en français

côtelettes de porc

en español

chuletas de espaldilla de cerdo

Recipes using pork shoulder chops

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes