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.

One hour for a braise is way too short. If you're going to do a real
braise, it needs a good four or five hours.

The real problem with the recipe is that it was written in the last
century when pork was raised, butchered and trimmed differently.
Braising requires a bit of fat and a bit of connective tissue, neither
of which will modern pork loin have in any abundance.

> 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).

It will affect the flavor and it will add a bit of fat inside the meat,
That would help some. If you don't want the bacon flavor, use salt pork
or blanch the bacon in boiling water for a few minutes.

> Anyone have a braising tip they'd like to share? (Other than shooting
> the chops up with lard, that is.)

You can brine it, but for a braise it will only provide minimal benefit.
That's better for grilling or other fast open-air techniques.

You can inject it with a water-oil marinade, or a water-gelatin-oil
marinade and get some benefit. But none of these techniques will give
you any better than a merely good result.

The greater reality is that pork loin isn't well-suited to braising.
Long-cooked pork needs to be a cut with cartilage and fat.

For the chops, a very simple technique for getting as good as they can
is to double-dip them and pan-finish. I'm assuming chops from 3/4 to 1
inch thick.

Set up 3 dishes: seasoned flour, egg wash, and seasoned crumbs. Dip the
chops into the flour, into the egg, into the crumbs (pressing to make
sure of the adhesion), back into the egg (quickly) and into the crumbs,
pressing again. Lay the chops on a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap
and put into the fridge for 1/2 hour, or more to dry. Wouldn't hurt to
turn them over halfway through. To finish, I do a little bit of 1/2 oil
and 1/2 butter in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the chops on both
sides. They're done when both sides are a rich brown. The meat steams
inside the crust. I usually serve them with a light gravy made from what
sticks to the pan, a splash of dry white wine (to deglaze), a dab of
beurre manie, some milk and a grating of parmesan. Cook gravy for 3
minutes and serve over the chops.

Pastorio