Brined Pork Chops

Name: Brined Pork Chops
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 Tbsp. Kosher salt; 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar; 2 large carrots; 1 bulb fennel; 2 stalks celery; 1 large yellow onion; 2 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns; 2 Tbsp. fennel seeds; 2 Tbsp. coriander seeds; 2 Tbsp. celery seeds; 2 garlic cloves; 4 thick cut, bone-in pork chops

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

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If you need a recipe that is easy but will impress every guest this is the one. While it takes a little bit of planning it's simple and will make you look like you spent all day developing the flavor. Brining the pork chops adds moisture and flavor to the point that it's almost like eating a thick ham steak. I usually like to serve this with the Stone Fruit Jalapeno relish, potato gratin and some Brussel sprouts. At the end of the day, when you say you brined something for dinner, everyone becomes impressed.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. Kosher salt

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 large carrots

1 bulb fennel

2 stalks celery

1 large yellow onion

2 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns

2 Tbsp. fennel seeds

2 Tbsp. coriander seeds

2 Tbsp. celery seeds

2 garlic cloves

4 thick cut, bone-in pork chops

Instructions

Cut the carrots, fennel, celery and onion into a ½" dice.

Smash the garlic and throw away the skin.

Place all of the vegetables, spices, salt, sugar and the pork chops in a large, gallon-sized ziplock, along with 2 quarts of water. It will be a tight fit, so be careful when sealing the bag up. Place the bag inside of another gallon-sized ziplock and seal just in case of a leak.

Place bag in the refrigerator for 3 days. Not 1 day. Not 2 days. 3 days.

Remove the pork chops from the bag and discard the brine. Pat the pork chops dry and let them rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Patting the meat dry helps create a nice crust on the outside, otheriwse the meat will steam from the excess moisture.

Heat a grill to medium-high heat and oil the grill to help prevent sticking.

Place the pork chops on the grill for 4 minutes. Rotate the pork chops 90° and cook for another 4 minutes. Flip the pork chops and cook for 4 minutes. Rotate the pork chops 90° and cook a final 4 minutes. Pull the chops from the grill and let them rest for 15 minutes, before slicing and serving.