When Poles hear ‘loin’ the first thing that come to their mind is a pork chop. Its importance in Polish cuisine is incontestable, but pork loin can take many different forms. Although pork chop is for sure the most popular dish in Poland, the possibilities do not end here. This kind of meat may be prepared in various ways, but many decide on chops because they are afraid that their dish will not be juicy enough. We will tell you how to choose a proper piece and how to prevent it from getting dry.

How to choose a perfect loin?

1. Lack of fat is not a good sign
Don’t be fooled by a perfectly looking fat-free pork loin. The fat is an element responsible for juiciness and tenderness of meat. Clean pork loin free of white lines will be hard and firm, and the taste will resemble the structure of a shoe sole rather than of a tender meat.

2. Pale loin is a bad loin
The best part of loin is the one taken from the neck side. It has a saturated color and soft structure which allows you to make a juicy roast. Pale lion is harder, which is what you want to avoid.

3. Sliced and packaged loin is like a pig in a poke
The best meat is always served from behind the counter at a meat stand or in a meat store. By buying packaged and portioned products you run the risk of nt coming home with a fresh piece of meat. Sometimes the label obscures the most important characteristics of a loin, i.e. the color or lack of tenderloin. If you care about the quality, go to a meat stand.

4. High temperature and long-lasting heat treatment are not good
Loin is a very fragile piece of meat which does not like long heat treatment and high temperature. These two factors may cause that instead of the juicy roast, you will get a dry shoe sole. How to overcome it? A good idea is to fry a whole piece of meat in the pan before it goes to the oven. This will close the pores and the meat will not loose its juiciness. You can also prevent a loin from drying by marinating it in milk beforehand.

5. Smell
Fresh pork loin has a barely perceptible smell, which is why you should rather not choose pieces with any stronger smell.