Pan Seared Brined Pork Chops

I’ll be honest. I’m not much of a pork chop fan. Probably because it is not a forgiving meat. If you are not careful, it will go from moist and tender to dry and leathery rather quickly. So since I usually brine my turkeys to keep them moist, I decided to experiment and try using a brine on my pork chops. This extra step worked wonders. The pork chops came out moist and tasty. And now I will add pork chops into my meal rotation more often.

BRINE INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups water
• ¼ cup salt (I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
• ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 garlic cloves slightly smashed
• 2 cups ice cubes

BRINE DIRECTIONS:

1. Stir together the water, salt, and sugar until dissolved.  Add thyme sprigs and garlic cloves. Stir in the ice and cool the brine to 45°F or lower.
2. Place 4 pork chops in a zipper-lock bag. Pour in the flavor brine and seal the bag. Place the bag in a bowl in case it leaks and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours, depending on the thickness of the chops. Remove the chops, discard the flavor brine, and pat the chops dry. Proceed with the recipe, or wrap the chops in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 2 days.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 brined pork chops
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Let brined pork chops come to room temperature by setting out 30 minutes before cooking.
2. On medium high heat,  add olive oil to sauté pan.
3. When the oil begins to ripple, carefully add pork chops to pan.
4. Next add butter, garlic cloves and thyme sprigs to pan.
5. Spoon butter over pork chops to baste repeatedly. Continue to do this for 2-3 minutes then flip pork chops over.
6. Repeat basting butter over pork chops for another 2-3 minutes. (Depending on thickness of your pork chops.)
7. Pork chops are ready when they reach an internal temperature of 145°F. Let rest for 3 minutes before serving.

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