{"id":1555,"date":"2017-06-16T09:00:47","date_gmt":"2017-06-16T15:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=1555"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:59:19","slug":"moms-slow-braised-pork-chops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/16\/moms-slow-braised-pork-chops\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom’s Slow-Braised Pork Chops"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 16, 2017<\/span><\/p>\n

Just last week my mother-in-law breaded and quickly pan-fried pork chops for dinner.\u00a0 They were tender, juicy and truly wonderful.<\/p>\n

Now that grilling weather has finally reached Santa Fe, we\u2019ll have pork chops quickly cooked on the grill throughout the summer.\u00a0 I\u2019ll even grill the occasional pork tenderloin seasoned with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and rosemary.<\/p>\n

I really enjoy juicy, quickly-cooked pork.\u00a0 However, I also really, really<\/em> enjoy the style of pork chops that I at while growing up:\u00a0 thin-cut pork chops cooked slowly in a saut\u00e9 pan until they are deep brown.<\/p>\n

No doubt, this is an entirely different dish from cooking the chops just enough to reach that \u201cmagic\u201d temperature of 140\u00b0F that the USDA says is \u201csafe.\u201d\u00a0 It won\u2019t be to everyone\u2019s taste (what is?) but in the interest of presenting an array of very traditional dishes I\u2019m including it.<\/p>\n

Just a few nights ago while in Palm Springs, I was served thick-cut braised pork chops cooked by a good friend, John O\u2019Malley, following a recipe from Marcella Hazan.\u00a0 I use the same recipe from Marcella when I want to cook thick-cut chops for company (ever since John turned me onto it a while back).<\/p>\n

Marcella was from Northern Italy, my mother\u2019s family from far Southern Italy, but the two dishes share a style that highlights a common feature of traditional Italian cuisine.\u00a0 That is, a cut of meat that could be cooked quickly is, instead, cooked slowly coaxing out more flavor and changing the texture in the process.<\/p>\n

The realization of the similarity of these two dishes is like the experience I wrote about in April 2017 <\/a>describing roast chicken I ate in Tuscany that tasted, for all the world, like the falling-apart roast chicken seasoned with garlic and rosemary that my mother made.<\/p>\n

Quick cooking is just one style but reading contemporary recipes one would think it\u2019s the only way to cook many cuts of meat.\u00a0 We all agree that there are cuts that must<\/em> be cooked long and slow for optimum texture: think Southern Pulled-Pork Barbecue, Hawaiian Roast Pig, Beef Brisket, or Pot Roast, for example.\u00a0 I challenge you to find a contemporary recipe for roast chicken or saut\u00e9ed pork chops that doesn\u2019t call for the minimum cooking time and final temperature.\u00a0 It\u2019s as if we\u2019ve forgotten that these meats can also <\/em>be cooked low and slow for a qualitatively different dish.<\/p>\n

Recording this kind of diversity traditional foodways is one of my main goals for this blog.<\/p>\n

As I describe on the About <\/a>page of this website, I\u2019ve had the very good fortune to cook alongside incredible cooks from many different parts of the world but even that only begins to scratch the surface of traditional foods.\u00a0 And while I\u2019ve got recipes planned well into next year, I think it\u2019s time to bring in other voices, other stories.<\/p>\n

From time to time I am going to feature a blog post, and accompanying recipe, based on interviews with folks who have chosen to share a treasured family recipe and a story to go along with it.\u00a0 There are several individuals who have volunteered to be in the vanguard of this effort.<\/p>\n

If you have a family recipe that you\u2019d like to share, send me an email or add a comment and I\u2019ll follow up.<\/p>\n

Click HERE <\/a>to join our mailing list and you’ll never miss a recipe again!

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Mom's Slow-Braised Pork Chops<\/h2>\n
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If these chops are being served as part of an Italian-style meal, preceded by pasta, rice or soup, and accompanied by several side dishes, one per person should be enough. Without a pasta course, an average eater could easily consume two of these and someone with a hearty appetite could eat three or four! A saut\u00e9 pan with a very heavy bottom is needed to avoid hot spots. The chops will be cooked on low heat for most of the time and it is important that the pan conduct the heat well to avoid hot and cool spots for optimum browning. I prefer center-cut pork loin chops, these have a bit of loin and a bit of tenderloin, essentially the same cut as a T-bone steak. Loin chops (without the tenderloin), as shown in the pictures, work well too.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>5 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 5 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>2<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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