Cooking tonkatsu

Is there a trick to cooking tonkatsu so that it doesn't get overcooked and hard and doesn't get undercooked and raw (esp since it's pork!) The recipe book I have says wait until the surface gets hard, and also when the bubbles die down, but every single time I make it, it doesn't come out right. How many minute(s) should I cook it - maybe that's the trick? I suppose the trick is practice, but maybe I'm just not meant to be a deep fry cook? How can I practice and build on that success if I can't ever get it right a first time? How do you cook your tonkatsu?

Are you deep frying or pan frying?
Pan-frying is much more difficult to control /master than deep frying.
In either case, it's likely you are not controlling your heat/oil temperature properly.

Some people prefer a slow deep-fry at 160-170 Celsius degrees but I don't like this method because it's very high calorie and the end-result is greasy if left for a while.

For deep-frying, heat your oil to 190-200 degrees C. You need enough oil to ensure that the katsu is floating and not contacting the pan.

Pan-frying is much harder because you have to account for the temperatures of both the oil and the pan. So there's a lot of factors that come into play: type of oil, type of frying pan, gas vs electric, etc.

I always drop a bit of the crumb mixture in the oil before I put the tonkatsu in. Essentially (using canola oil, I think peanut oil gets hotter) you can see the swirls in the oil when it is getting hot, if it is smoking it is way too hot. If you drop a matchhead sized bit of crumb mix in and it sinks, it's not hot enough, if it pops to the top straight away and starts sizzling, it's time to cook. I use a pot as well, and I only do one or two pieces at a time and let it get hot again before the next bit goes in. I also have mine pretty thin (maybe a cm or so, and give it a fair whack with the back of a heavy knife), and cook it for only a minute or two then turn it over and do the same.

I hope the meat is not too frozen or anything when you start frying it. Also, when you are finished frying it, leave it on a net or board for a while. The remaining heat will naturally "cook" the meat nice and tender.

if the pork gets dark too fast... your oil is too hot. (it'll burn on the outside & not cooked on the inside) better to cook it a little too slow than a little too fast.

If it's uncooked and raw, it's probably because the meat is too thick. I remember reading that it should be 1/2 an inch thick but I can't find the source (whether it be online or in one of my books). You can always flatten it out by wrapping it in plastic and using a rolling pin.

I am deep frying, not pan frying. I just put in one piece at a time.

190 C! Oh, is that the trick? My book says 170 C and that is what I have been doing thus far. So how long do you cook it at that temperature? I have been aiming for between 1 1/2 to 2 minutes (at 170 C) because that's the range between when it's undercooked and overcooked. But I never get it cooked just right. If I cook it at 190 C I wonder if it'll take less time, like just a minute or so?

I use probably canola oil or whatever, no special oil. Should I use a particular oil? I have a deep frying pot. We have a gas stove.

I also read about dropping a piece of batter into the pot. Finally, I decided it would be more accurate to buy a thermometer which I now use.

The meat is refrigerated, so not frozen.

Yeah, sometimes I noticed it would cook too fast and burn!

1/2 inch thick. Oh, that tip helps! I will check next time to be sure, and flatten it if necessary.

Thanks all for you advice. I'll try it and see.

1.5 minutes at 170? Your cook book must be mad!

I do mine for 4-5 minutes at 190.

Uh, I go by my feeling for all deep frying, tonkatsu, chicken-katsu, prawn tempura, vege.tempura, etc.
If it is too thick, you can do double frying. Slow frying at a lower oil temp. and take it out when the crumb becomes light golden color, rest a few min. for heat penetration/inside cooking(check) and refry short time at a high temp. to make the crumb crispy & get rid of extra oil. You can thrown in more than one piece at a time in succession checking not to cool the oil temp. too much. Otherwise it will take too long for hungry mouths & cooled off when done.
I use the panko for prawns, too because I & my family don't like too much oil saturated batter. To make it really crispy, use corn starch. Also cut the stomach muscles a few places to prevent curling.
The best & most expensive for frying is the rice bran oil. The next would be peanut oil, then canola oil.
If you want to show off, make deep fried ice cream balls. You must do it quickly at a high temp. or it melts away in the pan.

Okay, so I am planning to make tonkatsu sometime in the upcoming week. If I deepfry it at 190 C, how long should I cook it? 4-5 minutes?!! Doesn't it get burned? Mine gets overcooked and hard after 2 minutes on 170 C!

guys, the cooking time is totally dependent on the thickness of the meat!!

170 for 1 1/2 minutes might be enough if it's a thin katsu, 190 for 4 minutes might be enough for a thick katsu and will produce a crunchy crust.

you just need to experiment a few times to find out what the ideal temperature and time is. just remember the higher the temperature is, the faster the outside will become crunchy.

keep in mind that the pork chop will continue to cook inside even after you take it off the heat so it may cook to perfection on the plate even if it was slightly underdone in the oil.

Okay, sorry for all the naive questions, but really, I've never been a deep fry cook and poor DH is always ending up eating overcooked, hard tonkatsu.

So I actually went and measured the meat, it is just a tad under 1 cm. I want to try cooking it at 190 C, but I know from my previous attempts, it will most definitely burn if cooked for 4 minutes. I even think it'll start overcooking at 2 minutes. How long do you think a (refrigerated, not frozen) 1 cm slab of tonkatsu deep fried in a deep fryer pot over a gas stove at a thermometer-measured 190 C in canola oil will take?

Any suggestion that I follow that results in a success wins the prize, lol!

Momotaropeachboy,

but I know from my previous attempts, it will most definitely burn if cooked for 4 minutes. I even think it'll start overcooking at 2 minutes.

I am a Japanese and I might misunderstand your situation because of my poor English skill, however, I guess you mean your Tonkatsu becomes dark brown or black in outer skin color, right?

If so, it is because the temperature of the oil is too high. How do you know the temperature is 170��C or so? From the indication of your IH heater? I doubt your IH heater might is in trouble.

If your Tonkatsu color is pale while the meat is very hard, then the oil temperature is low and the heating duration is too long, but I think this is not likely.

At last, what portion of pork are you using? I guess it should be loin, which is, in my opinion, somewhat difficult part for Tonkatsu beginner. I recommend pork fillet which has no hard part (I do not know what to say in English, tendon, maybe).

Try to buy tenderloin...it is a better quality of meat..and coat it well, like twice (dip in eggs, then breadcrumbs, then again eggs/ breadcrumbs).

OK, give the edges a little cut, and give the meat a whack as well. I'd cook it for no more than 2 minutes, have a look at the bottom to see if it is the right colour, if it is whiteish it needs longer, it should be pretty much the colour you'd eat it at. When it gets to the right colour, turn it over and cook it for maybe a minute. cut it open to see if you have it right, I tend to cook pork pretty well, definately no blood inside, but a bit of juice is OK. If you are struggling with times and they are underdone on the inside, I'd put the oven on 150 degrees or so, then pop them in after they have come out of the fryer, which lets the oil drain off too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgrWyZ8ZUDQ
skip 7:30

The tall man who is a son of Tonkatshu-restrant,
and most famous V-Ball player(past) in Japan.

He said "watch bobble sise".
3min to 2min 30sec turn over.

http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog?blend=2&ob=1#p/u/35/klFyrnr...

Francis has some really good recipes, and it is easy to follow too.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

So I finally got around to making it. I ended up cooking it between 190 - 200 degrees C and that sure made a difference! I deep fried it between 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. I think if I went over 2 minutes, it would have turned too dark. I gave a bite to DH to taste test and he said, "Oishii!"

(Oh, by the way, why I cooked it at 170 degrees before was because, not only my cookbook, but the thermometer I used also said for making tonkatsu, do it at 170 degrees!)