Karen MacInerney wrote:
> Last night, out of sheer laziness, I used a recipe of James Beard's
> that involved browning thick pork loin chops, then braising them in
> broth with some sliced onions for an hour. I've done it before with
> rather dry and jaw-exhausting results. Yesterday was no different:
> great flavor, dry and leathery texture.
>
> I've read that pork these days is less fatty than it used to be, and
> suspect that might be the culprit. I've considered larding them with
> bacon, but I think that would affect the flavor (not to mention my
> cholesterol count).
>
> Anyone have a braising tip they'd like to share? (Other than shooting
> the chops up with lard, that is.)

Your recipe has a misprint. After one hour set your timer for another
hour.... one hour is way too little time for any kinda braised meat.
Tenderness through braising hasn't a whit to do with fat, has to do
*only* with collagen... pork loin chops contain very little collagen,
so it can take long slow cooking to break down the muscle tissue. I
usually choose pork shoulder chops for braising, which have a lot more
collagen than loin chops, and stlil they need about 2 hours for falling
off the bone buttery tender.

Sheldon