Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Tough Chops dilema

Bought a pork loin and cut into thin chops to make pork loin sandwiches. Always pounded out with a tenderizer and all went great except these are tougher than a boot. Tried to make chops and can't seem to get them to an edible state. Anybody got an idea how to tenderize them or are they headed for sausage and burger?

brine and a thermometer.

Sous vide.

Prezactly.

Works great

I think I will try that. I have the intention of trying to make pork cutlets after the initial sous vide cook. Does this sound sensible? I was kind of looking for a soak something on the order of papaya or? Have a low sodium diet to consider so brining is out.

Pineapple juice (?)

Cut a whole loin into thin sandwich slices. Quick sear & season on both sides and throw the whole mess into the crockpot on low. Cook to desired doneness being careful not to over cook.

Bag and freeze.

Haven't used my Anova souse vide in ages.

Why ???? I dunno.

Brining ads very little sodium to each pork chop.

Eating some right now. Season and sear one side. Flip and finish on LOW COVERED, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I bought a whole loin to try my hand at making some Canadian bacon.

Hasn't worked out.

Sous vide is way over rated IMO. Not that it’s bad, just over rated.

Brine and grill or broil.

This for me as well.

is that right?


I would not have guessed.

Lime seems to be popular.

From Cook's Illustrated | May/June 2014

We sent cooked samples of food that we brined to an independent lab for sodium analysis.

There are a number of foods that we typically soak in a saltwater solution, or brine, before cooking. The salt in the brine doesn’t just season the food; in the case of meat, poultry, and fish, it improves juiciness and tenderness. It also helps dried beans cook faster and gives them a creamier texture and more tender skin. That said, we’ve often wondered just how much sodium ends up in brined food. To find out, we sent cooked samples of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boneless center-cut pork chops, skinless salmon fillets, and black beans that we brined for our standard recommended times to an independent lab for sodium analysis. We also analyzed plain water–soaked samples so that we could then subtract any naturally occurring sodium. Here’s how much sodium brining adds to each food. (Note: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend less than 2,300 milligrams daily for people under 51 and less than 1,500 milligrams for those 51 and older.)

6 Ounces Cooked Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

BRINING FORMULA: 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup salt, 1 hour
ADDED SODIUM: 270 milligrams
SALT EQUIVALENT: Less than 1/8 teaspoon


6 Ounces Cooked Boneless, Center-Cut Pork Chop

BRINING FORMULA: 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup salt, 1 hour
ADDED SODIUM: 218 milligrams
SALT EQUIVALENT: Less than 1/8 teaspoon


6 Ounces Cooked Skinless Salmon Fillet

BRINING FORMULA: 2 quarts water, 5 tablespoons salt, 15 minutes
ADDED SODIUM: 173 milligrams
SALT EQUIVALENT: Just over 1/16 teaspoon


3 Ounces (1/2 Cup) Cooked Black Beans

BRINING FORMULA: 2 quarts water, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, 24 hours
ADDED SODIUM: 52 milligrams
SALT EQUIVALENT: Less than 1/32 teaspoon

Just cooked some last night. Took a 5 lb. pork loin and sliced it about 3/4 in. thick cutlets. Lightly salted and sprinkled with cajun seasoning, both sides, and let warm to room temperature. Lightly coat with self-rising flour seasoned to taste with cajun seasoning. Plain flour can be used, but I like a little more puffiness in the crust that self-rising gives. Dip each cutlets in buttermilk. You can use regular milk, but I like the flavor that buttermilk gives it. Note that some will add some well beaten egg to this milk, blended, as well. I don't think it is needed, myself. After soaking in the milk, dredge it again in the seasoned flour. Deep fry cutlets in hot oil of your choice, deep enough to cover the cutlets. I prefer canola oil. Get the oil good and hot before adding the cutlets. Do not crowd the cutlets in the fryer. I use a 10 in. cast iron "chicken fryer" or deep skillet. Do not overcook as doing so will make them tough. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Very tender and very flavorful.

In addition, after deep frying, you can make a large batch of gravy with the remaining seasoned flour and some buttermilk with some sauteed chopped or sliced onion and mushrooms. Adjust spices to taste. This should be enough gravy to cover the cutlets well. Also cutlets should be a bit lightly done if continuing with this as they will cook a bit more in this gravy. Add the lightly fried cutlets to this gravy, covering well, and gently simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Another method of cooking pork loin that I really like is to unwrap it and pat it dry. Inject it with an injectable marinade of your choice, such as cajun butter, jalapeno butter, etc., and dust it well with plain salt and powdered cajun seasoning. Cover and refrigerate overnight or so. Place in smoker with hickory wood chips with temperature set at about 220*F until internal temperature rises to 140*F. Remove from smoker and let stand for 15-30 minutes. Slice and enjoy.

The problem with pork loin is that it has so little fat content. One of the main things that makes a beef steak tender and flavorful is the marbling. Pork loin just does not have this. If you try to cook it well done, it becomes as tough as leather. There is no safety need to cook it more than 140*F or medium/medium rare. Pounding it with a tenderizer and cooked well done with little grease will just result in tough pounded meat. You can grind it for sausage or burger, but you will need to add a LOT of fat to it as it is so lean. It can be pan fried as boneless pork chops quite well if it is not sliced too thin and fried in enough oil such as canola, Crisco, lard, olive oil, or bacon grease. Whatever trips your trigger. Again, do not over cook it. You cannot just slice it and throw it in a skillet with a light spray of Pam as it is naturally too dry. Don't give up. Pork loin is one of my favorite cuts of meat. Especially so when I find them on sale for .99/lb., I put several in the freezer.

Probably shot up with a 10-15% flavor enhancing solution. Affects the texture and makes it tough. They also feel slimy to me. It is supposed to be listed on the label but isn't always.

I've never heard the term "Sous vide"

Anyone care to enlighten me?

All I know, is my pork chops come out TOUGH most of the time.

Am willing to give almost anything a try,

Thanks!

Virgil B.