My mom used to buy the thin ones, aka Minutensteaks. That’s the perfect name for them, really. Quick sear, pan sauce, done.
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Minute Steak in Canada is usually thin beef, same kind of idea. The thin pork is usually labeled Fast Fry around here, as is the thin steak.
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Yeah, I’m thinking OP’s ‘brief braise’ is the problem, especially if the chops are lean loin chops.
If they were seared to appropriate done-ness, why continue to cook them? Braising doesn’t work for every cut.
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You may already know this, but in the GBA (where I believe you are) an unexpected source for Japanese goods is The Mushroom Shop in Somerville. And, of course, Cafe Sushi has just switched to essentially a Japanese market.
My pork chops were “double” ones, about 2" thick. I went a little over on the temp because I was playing it safe. They came out very well, though, and juicy. (And, if I may boast, thanks to the shio koji I got an exterior somewhat like your pictures.)
Speaking of temperatures, my thermapen gives different temps when inserted in different places, so it’s hard to know which to go by. And, the last time I reverse-seared a 2" porterhouse, although the thermapen said “OK” when inserted away from the bone, the meat closest to the bone was close to raw (and, yes, I had removed from fridge an hour before). That was OK, because I like ultra-rare beef (but was a bit afraid of having that happen with pork).
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I grew up in the Boston area, but now I live just outside of Zurich, Switzerland.
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Our loss is Zurich’s gain.
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I might have to try that; I can’t seem to get through a whole thick one anymore.
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Lucky you! I live just outside Zurich, Ontario 
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Neither can I, nor can I my 2" porterhouse, but what’s the moral harm in slicing the leftovers thinly and freezing? Thin because the defrosted strips are versatile: they can go into sandwiches, or be mixed into hot noodles or hot rice or be used for tacos after the briefest time on a very hot pan.
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I use the leftover bits of meat for breakfast. Warmed in a frying pan, topped with a fried egg.
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You always do things in style.
Enjoy!
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@BierMonk However many steps are involved, I still want to measure 145 degrees at some point before serving / eating. In my experience, it’s optimistic to assume that chops measured at / cooked to 128 degrees will heat more than 15 degrees to reach safe-temp 145 while simply resting.
Is that because of risk of trichinosis/trichinellosis ( Trichinella spiralis), or something else?
The risk of any disease/bacteria contaminant. Or as the not-too-detailed [food safety site(https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures) phrases it “hot enough to kill harmful germs that cause food poisoning.”
The pork producers cite the same minimum temperature and note that ground pork should be 160 F
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Okay; thanks. I just want to know what the risks are when I break rules. I would definitely accept the minute risk of trichinosis before I would eat a pork chop cooked to 145 f.
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Cooking only for yourself, fine. Cooking for a spouse (as I do) or a larger family — play it safe.
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I cook my pork to 160 to avoid foodborne illness- so pork shoulder is my friend . I braise that to 185.
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Agreed. I suppose like @Phoenikia , I’d go for a different cut if cooking for a group. Ironically the people I try to be safe with seem to be fine with leaving cooked food at room temp for extended periods of time, which I try not to do.
My spouse doesn’t like “fatty meat” and essentially says " there is no such thing as cooking a protein too much", so his goes to 145. He likes to have meat cooked until all the juice is squeezed out, then add it back in a pool of “gravy”.
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