Brined pork chops
(Recipe inspired by one at Southern Living magazine’s website southernliving.com.)
2 cups water
cup kosher salt 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Favorite aromatics (such as 12 juniper berries, 12 peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, 4 smashed cloves of garlic or 1 tablespoon everything but the bagel seasoning blend – or a combination of 2 or 3 of these ingredients)
2 cups very cold water
4 pork chops, bone-in or boneless and to 11⁄4 inches thick
Salt-free seasoning blend 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
Add the salt, brown sugar and aromatics. Stir until salt and sugar are completely dissolved, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat and add 2 cups of cold water. Allow the brine to sit until it
comes back to room temperature. Place the meat in a 1-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag and cover with the cooled brine. Gently squeeze out the air and seal the bag. As a precaution in case the bag leaks, place the bag in a glass dish. (The meat also can be submerged in the brine in a glass dish and covered with a lid or plastic wrap.)
Refrigerate the meat for at least 6 hours and no more than 22 hours.
Remove meat from the brine and discard the solution. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels.
Use a salt-free seasoning blend to season the meat before cooking. The brine has infused sufficient salt into the meat.
Heat olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Also, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brown the pork chops for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Place the skillet with the meat in the oven and finish cooking the pork chops for about 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness. Use a meat thermometer to cook the pork chops to 145 degrees and guard again overcooking. Serve immediately.