SALT |
San Francisco, California |
Lean, boneless cuts of meat have a tendency to dry out, and that’s why brining—immersing the chops in what amounts to a seasoned saltwater bath—is your friend. As opposed to seasoning the surface of the meat, brining not only allows the seasoning to penetrate the whole chop, it aids in retaining moisture. Ideally you want the pork to sit in the brine for at least twenty-four hours, but if you plan on pork chops for dinner and only have time to toss them in the brine before you go to work, they’ll still be better off.
SERVES
10
LEVEL of DIFFICULTY
WORTH THE EFFORT |
REASONABLE |
EASY |
BRINE
10 cups/2.3 L water
2 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
4 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tbsp peppercorns
4 sprigs rosemary
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup/170 g sugar
1/2 cup/100 g coarse salt
Ten 10- to 12-oz/280- to 340-g boneless center-cut pork chops, about 11/4 to 11/2 in/3 to 4 cm thick
PICKLED CHERRY PEPPERS*
12 cherry peppers
Pinch of coarse salt
11/2 tsp olive oil
11/2 cups/360 ml white vinegar
3/4 cup/150 g sugar
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 cup/60 ml canola oil
4 large garlic cloves, slivered
4 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup/115 g unsalted butter
1. TO MAKE THE BRINE: Place 1 cup/240 ml of the water in a saucepan and add the fennel seeds, bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary, and garlic. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining 9 cups/2.1 L water, sugar, and salt and stir until dissolved and well combined.
2. Rinse the pork chops and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a clean bowl. Pour the brine over the chops and place a plate on top to keep the chops submerged. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
3. WHILE THE CHOPS ARE BRINING, MAKE THE PICKLED CHERRY PEPPERS: Preheat the broiler. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Toss the peppers with the salt and olive oil. Spread the peppers on a baking sheet, skin-side up, and broil for about 5 minutes, until the skins begin to blister and the peppers soften slightly. Remove from the oven and set aside. Put the vinegar, sugar, and rosemary in a small saucepan, bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Pack the peppers into a jar and pour in the hot pickling liquid. Let cool to room temperature. The peppers are now ready to eat, or screw the lid on the jar tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
4. Prepare a medium-hot grill. (Place your palm about 4 in/10 cm above the grate. If you can stand it for 4 or 5 seconds before you have to pull away, that’s a pretty good approximation of medium-hot.)
5. While the coals are getting hot, take the chops out of the brine, rinse them thoroughly under cold water, and pat them dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.
6. When the moment of medium-hot has arrived, place the chops on the grill. Give them a little elbow room. Let them cook for 6 or 7 minutes per side. (You want the internal temperature at about 145°F/60°C.) The sugars from the brining process will caramelize beautifully, giving you bold, slightly charred grill marks across the chops.
7. When they’re done, transfer the chops to a platter and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let them rest. It’s important. This simple step lets the proteins relax and reabsorb moisture, distributing the meat’s juices evenly throughout. It might be the best few minutes you’ve ever spent.
8. Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a very large pan over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and rosemary sprigs. Cook for 2 minutes or so, shaking the pan a little throughout. Add about 12 pickled pepper halves and the butter, again, keeping it moving. Stir until the butter is melted and the peppers, rosemary, and garlic are slightly browned.
9. Place the chops on plates and top each with the remaining pepper halves and then drizzle with plenty of the pan juices.
10. Eat.
* While you can use jarred cherry or Peppadew peppers (or, if you want extra heat, Calabrian chiles) for this recipe, pickling your own adds a notch to your belt and gives you something to do while the pork is in the brine.