I always brine my meat when I have time, it’s a sure fire way to get great results with minimal effort. I use chicken brine, turkey brine and this pork chop brine; you won’t believe how this simple salt mixture can impart so much flavor.
Pork Chop Brine Ingredients
When you make this pork chop brine you will need water, kosher salt, sugar, ground allspice, fennel seeds, peppercorns, a bay leaf, cloves of garlic and fresh or dried thyme. These pork chop make a great dinner with side dishes like honey roasted carrots, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted red potatoes.
How do you make pork chop brine?
To make this pork brine recipe start by pouring a cup of boiling water into a large bowl. Dissolve salt and sugar in that hot water. Add garlic, peppercorns, herbs and spices to the bowl. Pour in cold water, then add pork chops to the brine. Make sure the pork chops are submerged in the brine. Place the bowl in the refrigerator. Let the chops soak up the brine for 6 to 24 hours. Remove the pork chops from the liquid and pat them dry with paper towels. Then cook your pork as desired.
Tips For The Perfect Pork CHop Brine
I typically brine my pork in a large bowl, but a brining bag will also work. You can find brining bags online or at kitchen stores. If the brine doesn’t completely cover your chops, it’s fine to add a little more water until they’re fully submerged. This recipe calls for kosher salt. If you’d prefer to use table salt, use 3 1/2 tablespoons. You can make the pork chop brine up to 3 days before you plan to use it. This recipe calls for fennel seeds and allspice, which are somewhat unusual ingredients but add SO much complex flavor. You can find both items in the spice aisle of every grocery store. This recipe calls for lightly crushed fennel seeds. You can lightly crush the seeds with a mortal and pestle, place them in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin or lightly chop the seeds with a knife.
Flavor Variations
This pork chop brine is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your taste.
Sweetener: Instead of granulated sugar try using brown sugar, honey or maple syrup. Spices: Feel free to add other spices to the mix such as BBQ rub, smoked paprika, onion powder or dried chiles. Herbs: Swap out the fresh thyme for sprigs of rosemary, sage or parsley. Citrus: Add 1/2 cup of sliced lemons or oranges to the brine. Apple: Make a fall flavored brine by adding apple slices, cloves and cinnamon.
This brine works perfectly for baked, grilled, pan seared and smoked pork chops. Once you try it, you’ll find yourself making it on a regular basis.
Pork Chop Brine Video
