How to make pork interesting

[whatsthatcomingoverthehill]

Plain old pork loin steaks, that I always end up seem to overcook (because I'm terrified of under cooked pork) and end up with chewy dry meat. What can I do with it to make it more interesting and not dry out?

[Mominatrix]

Brine it or braise it slowly in milk.

[dreamingofsun]

fry and once lightly browned add philadelphia with some water to loosen and maybe some mushrooms/herbs/garlic and cook till done

[Want2bSupermum]

First of all you need not be over cooking pork loin. All pork sold commercially is brined in salt water to inhibit bacterial growth. Another interesting fact is that you only need to sear the outside of a loin piece to kill off the bacteria. Still, while DH tells me this daily (he works for a huge slaughterhouse group in their pork division) I use a cooking themometer to ensure its cooked through to the right temperature. Trick is to take it off when it is 5 degrees below 165f as it will easily heat up over that when it is resting.

As for making pork interesting I like to make my own salt free rubs because the meat is already salted. Currently liking my lemon pepper or the Italian seasoning I made. I buy a lot of herbs and spices online and make up random rubs in my coffee grinder turned 'rub' grinder.

[oliviaclottedcream]

Smash it thinner with a rolling pin. marinate in a little lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, olive oil.
delish

[oliviaclottedcream]

sorry , forgot to add - fry it /4/5 mins either side.

[StrapOnDodo]

I put them in a freezer bag with garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, herbs to marinade for at least a few hours, then fry like a steak in a hot ridged pan, maybe 1.5 mins each side then rest in oven at about 140 for 10 mins while I sort out noodles and salad.

[whatsthatcomingoverthehill]

Thanks everyone. Interesting about the bacteria Want2b, I always thought pork could be riddled with nasties.

[oliviaclottedcream]

Sounds good StrapOn .. Soy and Herbs though? Not sure...........

[Destinysdaughter]

Marinade in Char Sui sauce, chop up and use in a stir fry, yum!

[Allalonenow]

Brown briefly on both sides, then add chopped onion, garlic, sliced apple, herbs and cider, cover and simmer until cooked through.
Or add semidried prunes or apricots insted of apple.

[Want2bSupermum]

Pork can be but the big farms and laws have put rules in place which limit the issues. The bigger farms tend to have better animal welfare and it's why I'm picky about where my pork comes from. I buy branded pork here in the US from Smithfield because they own their farms. Sounds silly that we buy but I can only get old product not fit for sale from DH. Everything else is sold!

[Lookingagain]

I haven't tried these recipes, but gosh they look good:

www.jocooks.com/main-courses/pork-main-courses/korean-style-pork-chops/

or something totally different:

allrecipes.com/recipe/18803/pork-chop-and-potato-casserole/?lnkid=pin12358&crlt.pid=camp.hqdlcvs4s0yw

[figginz]

Fennel seeds. Yum yum yum

[StrapOnDodo]

Well, maybe soy or herbs, I suppose. I'm not a recipe person