Brine for Pork Chops
For juicy, tender pork chops every time use this simple brine recipe. Feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices to this! The recommended brining time for chops is 12-24 hours but I have only ever brined for two hours and it works great!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup coarse kosher salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 gallon cold water
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
Instructions
- A heavy-duty plastic tube, stainless-steel bowl, or re-sealable plastic bag can work as a brining container, as long as the pork is fully submerged. Weight with a plate, if necessary, to keep the meat fully covered by the brine.
- To determine how much brine you'll need, place the meat to be brined in your chosen container. Add water to cover. Remove the meat and measure the water.
- Dissolve salt and sugar in the boiling water. Add it to the cold water; add pepper and stir to combine. Chill brine completely in the refrigerator before adding pork. Place your pork in the water and place in the refrigerator for the time required.
- Experiment with seasonings. Salt is essential, but everything else is optional. Consider garlic, ginger, fresh herbs, juniper berries, clove, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, mustard seed, coriander seed, star anise, hot pepper flakes or Sichuan peppercorns. To give pork a sweet edge and encourage browning, add ½ cup sugar to each 2 quarts of water.
- Rinse pork twice after removing it from the brine solution; discard brine. If you are not ready to cook at the end of the brining time, remove and rinse the meat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Do not salt brined meat before cooking. Cook pork according to your favorite recipe. Do not overcook your brined pork. Once brined, the pork cooks faster so be careful and use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
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