Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

>On Wed 04 Jun 2008 09:44:30p, Steve Pope told us...

>> I've had inconsistencies in how tender a pork chop ends up,
>> even for the same degree of done-ness.

>> One theory I have is that if, after removing it from the heat
>> and letting it rest, it is self-generating some steam and steams
>> for awhile, it ends up tougher.

>I suppose that could be, Steve, but generally when I cook pork chops they
>go immediately to plate to table.

How well-done do you cook them? For me, I need to rest them so
that as they rest they transform from rare-ish to just past medium
rare.

Lately I've always been brining/rinsing them, then letting them
set for one hour before cooking. During this final hour additional
brine liquid drains out of them, but there still is some variation
in how moist they are when cooking commences. My theory is that
if they are too moist at that point, a steaming effect takes
place. That's what I'm trying to control better.

But then, it could be something else that's the variable. All
I really know is sometimes they end up ultra-tender from the
brining, other times they are still tough despite the same
technique.

Steve