Large Thin Boneless Pork Chops - 1 lb

Boneless loin chops sliced 3/4" thick from the loin primal, packed 2–3 per pack at roughly 16 oz — this is the larger sibling to our 102 chop, same cut, same raising standard, just sized up so it fills a pan properly. The loin runs along the pig's back and does very little physical work, which keeps it tender even at a lean trim and makes it one of the more forgiving cuts for home cooks who don't want to hover over the stove.

These chops come from one of two partner family farms — Farmer Keith's 550-acre operation, which raises about 250 hogs a year on year-round pasture and wooded-lot access, or Farmer Kerry's farm in Montrose, Minnesota, where he raises a rare small lard heritage forest hog breed on green pastures and wooded lots using a rotational grazing system he studied at culinary school in Sonoma County. Both farms raise to the same TC Farm standard: pasture access every single day of the year, slow growth, and the same careful attention to land and animal. Kerry's forest hogs are worth mentioning on a chop like this — they marble heavier than most heritage breeds, and Kerry himself says the fat tastes almost like butter. Whether your pack comes from Keith's farm or Kerry's, the raising is identical in principle and the eating quality reflects it.

The feed is transitional organic corn, barley, and alfalfa — grown on the same land the pigs live on — and that detail matters more than it might sound. No soy is used at any stage of these animals' lives. That's genuinely uncommon in the U.S. pork supply: soy meal is the dominant protein source in conventional finishing rations, and it's present in nearly all commodity pork. For families managing soy sensitivities or allergies — including people who react to soy proteins carried through animal feed — finding a verified soy-free source is often the entire reason they go looking for a farm-direct supplier. The transitional organic designation means the feed crops are being grown under USDA organic practices during the mandatory three-year transition period before full organic certification is granted. The farming is organic in practice; the paperwork clock is still running.

The hogs on both farms grow roughly 20% slower than a conventionally raised pig. That's not a poetic claim — slower growth means more time for intramuscular fat to develop and more exposure to the varied pasture diet that produces measurably higher Vitamin D levels compared to confinement-raised pork. Rotational grazing plays a role in both the animal's health and the land's: fields are rested between grazing cycles, which protects native plant species, rebuilds soil structure, and prevents the water runoff that's common on bare, overgrazed ground. The pigs forage and root the way pigs are built to, and that movement shows up in muscle tone and the way the fat is distributed across the chop.

For cooking, this chop is 3/4" thick and boneless, which means it responds well to high direct heat — a cast-iron pan ripping hot with a light coat of fat, or a gas grill over direct flame. Sear or grill 3–4 minutes per side, then rest for at least 3 minutes before cutting. If you prefer the oven, 425°F for 14–16 minutes (flipping once at the halfway mark) gets you to a safe internal temperature without drying out the lean loin. USDA sets 145°F as the target for whole pork cuts with a 3-minute rest — that will give you a chop that is cooked through but still slightly rosy in the center, which is exactly where you want it. Because this chop is larger than the 102, plan for roughly 1–2 extra minutes per method compared to a thinner cut.

Ingredients: Pork.

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Common Questions

Where exactly on the pig does a loin chop come from, and why does it stay tender?
The loin is the long muscle that runs along the top of the pig's back, roughly from the shoulder blade to the hip. Because it functions primarily as a postural muscle rather than a locomotive one, it accumulates very little of the connective tissue that makes working muscles tough. That low-collagen structure is what keeps a boneless loin chop tender even at a lean trim, and why it cooks quickly at high heat without becoming chewy. The 3/4" thickness on this cut gives you a little more margin than a thinner chop — enough time to develop a crust on the outside before the center overcooks.

Why does it matter that this pork is soy-free, and how unusual is that?
Soy meal is the dominant protein source in conventional U.S. pork finishing rations — the vast majority of commercially raised pigs in this country eat soy at every stage of their lives. That makes verified soy-free pork a genuinely uncommon find, even at specialty grocery stores. For families managing soy allergies or sensitivities, the concern is the transfer of soy proteins through animal feed into the meat and fat, a pathway that affects some sensitive individuals. TC Farm's partner farms — Keith's and Kerry's — feed no soy at any stage: the ration is transitional organic corn, barley, and alfalfa, all grown on-farm. That's the whole list.

What does transitional organic feed actually mean, and is it the same as USDA Organic?
It is not the same as USDA Organic, and TC Farm is straightforward about that distinction. USDA Organic certification for feed crops requires a three-year period during which the land is farmed to organic standards without synthetic inputs before the crops can carry the certified organic label. The feed on both partner farms is being grown under those organic practices right now — no synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers — but the three-year certification clock is still running. The practical result for the animal is the same as certified organic feed; the paperwork just hasn't completed the required window. TC Farm uses the term transitional organic specifically to be accurate rather than to claim a certification that hasn't been finalized.

Does USDA regulate the phrase pasture-raised on pork packaging, and what does real pasture access look like here?
No — as of now, there is no federal standard that defines what pasture-raised means on a pork label. A producer can print the phrase on a package without any minimum outdoor access requirement, acreage standard, or third-party verification. On both TC Farm partner farms, pasture access is year-round and literal: the hogs are on open pasture and wooded lots every day, with room to root, forage, and express natural behaviors. Farmer Keith's 550-acre farm runs about 250 hogs a year — a number deliberately kept small enough that the rotational grazing system can be managed by hand and the land never gets outpaced. Farmer Kerry's farm in Montrose, Minnesota uses the same rotational grazing approach across green pastures and wooded lots. Neither farm uses confinement housing.

Is there a measurable nutritional difference between pasture-raised pork and conventionally raised pork?
Yes, and the most consistently documented difference is Vitamin D. Pigs that spend time outdoors in sunlight synthesize Vitamin D in their skin, and multiple peer-reviewed studies have found that pasture-raised pork carries substantially higher Vitamin D levels than confinement-raised pork. The second measurable difference comes from growth rate: these hogs grow roughly 20% slower than a conventionally raised pig, which means more time for intramuscular fat — the marbling that carries flavor compounds — to develop before harvest. Kerry's heritage forest hogs are a specific example of this: he describes the fat on his breed as tasting almost like butter, and that's a function of breed selection combined with a pasture-and-forage diet, not a processing technique.

What is the best way to cook a 3/4" boneless loin chop so it doesn't dry out?
High direct heat and a short cook time are the right tools for a lean boneless loin chop at 3/4" thick. In a cast-iron or stainless pan, get the surface ripping hot before the chop goes in, then sear 3–4 minutes per side undisturbed — moving it too early pulls the crust before it releases naturally. If you prefer the oven, 425°F for 14–16 minutes with a flip at the halfway mark works well. USDA sets the safe internal temperature for whole pork cuts at 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and at that temperature a loin chop will be cooked through but still slightly rosy in the center — that's correct, not underdone. Because this cut is larger than a thinner 1/2" chop, budget 1–2 extra minutes per method and use a thermometer rather than guessing by color.

How should I store and thaw these chops?
Keep the pack frozen until the day before you plan to cook. The safest thaw method is in the refrigerator for 24 hours — the chops come down to a safe temperature slowly and stay there. If you need a faster thaw, a sealed cold-water bath works: submerge the sealed pack in cold tap water and change the water every 30 minutes; a 1 lb pack typically thaws in under an hour this way. Do not thaw on the counter at room temperature — pork sitting in the bacterial growth zone (40–140°F) for more than two hours is a food safety risk. Once thawed in the refrigerator, the chops are good for 1–2 days before cooking. Frozen and properly sealed, the pack holds quality for up to 6 months.