Juicy and Flavorful Pork Chop Brine Recipe

This pork chop brine produces succulent, flavorful pork chops! It’s the simplest way to give a lean cut of meat more moisture and flavor.

A perfect, well-rounded brine is made with spicy peppercorns, fresh thyme, and brown sugar.

Why Is This Recipe So Delicious?

• Brine aids in the absorption of as much moisture as possible by pork chops. When you brine a dry cut of meat, it becomes flavorful almost instantly!
• Brown sugar and salt combine to make a savory pork chop with just a hint of sweetness. When the pork chops are cooked, the sweet and savory ingredients form a nice crust around them.
• It only takes 5 minutes to prepare! Make your brine, put it in a bag with the pork chops, and put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours to work its magic.

Important Ingredients

Brown sugar gives your pork chops a deep caramel color and flavor. In an otherwise savory dish, it also adds a touch of sweetness. Use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar if you want to make this paleo.

Bay Leaf – The bay leaf releases a subtle herb flavor when left in this pork chop brine for at least 8 hours. Just one bay leaf will improve the flavor of your pork chops.

Salt (kosher) – Salt is the foundation of all brines. It breaks down the protein in pork chops in this dish, allowing the meat to absorb a lot more moisture and flavor!

Chef’s Advice

• Allow for thorough cooling before adding the brine to the pork chops. If the temperature is too high, the pork chops will begin to cook. If the pig begins to cook, the brine’s science will be rendered useless.
• The number of black peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and garlic can all be changed. Pork chops made with the amounts listed in the recipe below are wonderful. If any of those items aren’t your thing, simply leave them out of your brine.
• Once your pork chops have finished brining, cook them as you like. Pan-searing them in a little olive oil is my favorite cooking method. In a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, I heat one tablespoon of olive oil, then sear each pork chop for 3-5 minutes per side. The end result is pork chops that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Pork Chop Brine

This pork chop brine produces succulent, delicious pork chops! It’s the simplest technique to give a lean cut of meat more moisture and taste. A wonderful, well-rounded brine is made using spicy peppercorns, fresh thyme, and brown sugar.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar see Notes
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  2 cloves of garlic smashed
• ¼ cup kosher salt
• 4 pork chops

Equipment

• Small saucepan
• Resealable plastic bag

Instructions For Pork Chop Brine

1. In a saucepan over low heat, combine 1 cup of water, brown sugar, black peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, garlic, and salt. Cook until the brown sugar and salt have completely dissolved.
2. Turn off the heat. Add the last 3 cups of water. Before proceeding to the next step, allow the brine to cool completely.
3. Place the brine in a large resealable plastic bag once it has cooled. Refrigerate pork chops for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
4. Pull the pork chops out of the brine. Pat completely dry before cooking.

Notes

• Use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar to make it Paleo.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1pork chop, Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 7153mg, Potassium: 537mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 37IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 9g