Polish
Kotlet Schabowy
A broad Polish pork cutlet with juicy meat and a delicate golden breadcrumb shell, traditionally shallow-fried in savory lard.
4 servings · 30 minutes prep · 18 minutes cook
Ingredients
Pork
- 4 chops, 6 oz each (1½ lb total), Boneless center-cut chops, each about ⅝ inch (1.5 cm) thick.
- 2½ tsp, Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- 1 tsp, Finely ground.
Breading
- ¾ cup, For the first, dry layer of the breading.
- 2 large eggs (about 3½ oz without shells), Measured without shells.
- 1 tbsp, Cold water for loosening the beaten eggs.
- 1½ cups, Fine, dry, and unseasoned.
Frying
- 1½ cups (about 11 oz), Rendered pork lard; use enough to maintain a ¼-inch (6 mm) depth while frying.
Directions
1. Pound and season the pork
- Place one boneless center pork loin chops between two sheets of {{tool:parchment-paper}} or inside a split food-storage bag. Using the smooth face of a {{tool:meat-mallet}}, pound from the center outward until uniformly ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Avoid tearing the edges or leaving a thick ridge in the center. Repeat with the remaining chops.
- Pat both sides completely dry. Combine the kosher salt and black pepper, then distribute the mixture evenly over both sides of all four cutlets. Rest uncovered for 10 minutes at room temperature. If moisture beads on the surface, blot it away before breading; a dry surface keeps the crust distinct from the pork.
2. Bread the cutlets
- Arrange three wide {{tool:shallow-dishes}}. Put the all purpose flour in the first. In the second, beat the egg with the cold water using a {{tool:whisk}} until no streaks of white remain. Put the fine dry breadcrumbs in the third.
- Working with one cutlet at a time, coat it lightly in flour and shake off every loose patch. Dip it in egg, allowing the excess to drain back into the dish. Lay it in the breadcrumbs, cover the top with crumbs, and press only lightly with an open hand. Turn once, coat the edges, and shake off loose crumbs. Heavy compression produces a dense crust instead of the characteristic crisp shell.
- Set the breaded cutlets in a single layer on the clean wire rack of a {{tool:sheet-pan-wire-rack}} and leave them uncovered for 5 minutes. Do not stack them. During this rest, begin heating the lard.
3. Heat the lard
- Add enough lard to a 10-inch (25 cm) {{tool:heavy-skillet}} to form a level ¼-inch (6 mm) depth, reserving the remainder for replenishing the pan.
- Heat over medium to medium-high. Check the shallow lard with an oil-rated {{tool:instant-read-thermometer}}, holding the sensing tip fully in the fat at an angle without touching the skillet, until it reaches 350°F (175°C). The lard should shimmer but must not smoke. Wash and dry the probe before using it on the pork, and position a separate clean {{tool:sheet-pan-wire-rack}} beside the stove.
4. Shallow-fry
- Fry one large cutlet at a time so it lies flat without touching the sides; crowding causes the lard temperature to fall and the breading to absorb fat. Lower the cutlet away from you with {{tool:tongs}} and gently shake the pan for several seconds so hot lard reaches beneath the entire crust.
- Fry the first side for 1½–2 minutes, until evenly deep golden and crisp. Turn once with {{tool:tongs}}, taking care not to puncture the pork, and fry the second side for 1–1½ minutes. Keep the lard between 335 and 350°F (168 and 175°C).
- Check the thickest part by inserting the clean {{tool:instant-read-thermometer}} horizontally from an edge into the center of the pork. Remove the cutlet when it reaches 145°F (63°C). The crust should be dry, audibly crisp, and golden-brown, while the pork remains moist; color alone is not a reliable doneness test.
- Transfer to the clean rack of the {{tool:sheet-pan-wire-rack}} and rest for at least 3 minutes before serving. Do not cover or drain on paper towels, which trap steam against the crust. For the hottest, crispest result, serve the cutlets in batches as each completes its required rest rather than holding the early cutlets until every batch is finished.
- Between batches, skim out loose breadcrumbs with a {{tool:slotted-spoon}} before they burn. Restore the lard to a ¼-inch (6 mm) depth with the reserved lard, clean and dry the thermometer probe, and return the lard to 350°F (175°C) before adding the next cutlet. Discard the used frying fat after it has cooled.
