In Iowa, the term pork chop has a different meaning than it does in most other places, where it refers to a modest triangle of meat about as thick as a slice of Wonder Bread and, sadly, sometimes as chewy as a dog toy. In fact, food-conscious citizens of the Hawkeye State rarely ever say the words pork chop without preceding them with Iowa. An Iowa pork chop is a grand and special cut, more prized than porterhouse in beef country or Dungeness crab in the Pacific Northwest. First off, it is as thick as a regal filet mignon, but, of course, it is broader by a factor of four, reminding one of a whole rack of lamb. The Machine Shed, outside of Des Moines, calls their version a double-cut chop, noting that it looks more like a pork roast. The inside spurts and sputters as a knife glides down through the caramel-colored crust and into the vast lode of meat. It comes topped with extremely savory pan gravy, which is less for the chop itself, which needs nothing but eager taste buds to attain its destiny, than for the great reef of mashed potatoes that accompany the chop on its plate.