Crispy German-style schnitzel is surprisingly easy to make. Marinated with salt and plenty of lemon juice, and shallow fried in oil and butter, the resulting pork chop is astoundingly tasty.
First, trim the little bone out of the pork chops.
Place the pork chop under a sheet of parchment paper (at least 12x12 inches or 30x30 cm) and use a rolling pin or meat mallet to pound out the pork chops until very thin (they should be somewhere between a ¼- and a ½-inch thick, or slightly less than 1 cm).
Put the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs into three large shallow dishes for dredging.
Next, squeeze lemon juice evenly and liberally over the pork chops on both sides (each ½ is good for about 2 chops). Sprinkle evenly with salt.
Preheat your frying pan over medium heat. You can either fry in batches using one pan, or have 2 frying pans going simultaneously to help make sure everything is hot by dinnertime. The pork chops will fry one at a time, because they are large.
Dredge the pork chops in the flour, taking care to coat every nook and cranny. Shake off the excess, and dip into the egg. Finish by thoroughly coating the pork chop in the breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs in with your fingers.
Add the oil and butter to the pan. If frying in batches, start with 3 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of oil for the first 2 pork chops. You’ll add the remainder to fry the last 2 pork chops. If using two separate frying pans, split the butter and oil evenly between the pans, and you should be able to get away with not needing to replenish.
The pan should not be so hot that the butter browns immediately. You’ll know it’s ready when a piece of eggy breadcrumb sizzles on contact.
Fry the pork chops, frying on each side for about 2 ½ to 3 minutes. If your chops are more lean, err on the side of less time. If your chops have darker meat, they’ll need the full 3 minutes on each side.