Every year, we have pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day for good luck in the following year. Not sure exactly how the tradition originated, but I assume it’s a German thing (since my family is German). However, my uncle and cousins aren’t big on the ‘kraut, so we always have pork chops for them to eat. This year, along with my green beans almondine, I made brined and oven-baked pork chops with a spice rub and topped with a slice of apple.
Gone are the days when you made a pork chop that turned out tough and dry. A brine is a great way to ensure a juicy and flavorful (and tender!) pork chop, so why would you skip on this quick and easy step ever again (peer pressure)? If you’re not familiar with it, brining is a technique you can use for several different kinds of meat, but it basically draws moisture and seasoning into the meat and provides for juicy and tender meat that cooks quickly. You also don’t have to soak the meat for a very long time, which is great if you’re pressed for time. Throughout the summer, I use the technique for grilling pork chops with a mesquite rub on them, and I have yet to have a bad result. Here’s the process– for every cup of liquid you use, add 1 tbs. of salt, and 1 tbs. of brown sugar. So, you can have anywhere from 3-100 cups of liquid, as long as you use 3-100 tablespoons of salt and brown sugar. The only situation I could think of in which you would need that much brine would be if you were brining a very large piece of meat (like a whole rack of ribs, or a whole turkey). Many people have produced great results brining a whole turkey and roasting it in the oven… I would really like to try it. Anyway, this is a recipe for 6 boneless pork chops.
BRINE:
- 3 C. warm water
- 3 C. apple juice (optional– you can just use 3 more cups of water)
- 6 tbs. salt
- 6 tbs. brown sugar
SPICE RUB (you can adapt this to taste however you want, or use a pre-packaged rub):
- dried mustard
- seasoned salt
- paprika
- garlic powder
- marjoram
- thyme
- 1 large apple (I like honeycrisp) sliced width-wise into 6 – 1/4″ slices. Substitute pear slices if desired.
- 6 tsp. brown sugar
Dissolve the brown sugar and salt in the warm water, then add the apple juice. If you’re not using apple juice, just use 6 cups of warm water to dissolve the salt and brown sugar. Remove the THAWED (but cold) pork chops from package, and perforate with a fork. Soak in the brine for 15-30 minuted. You may refrigerate during this time if you choose.
Remove from brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle one or both sides of the meat evenly with each spice on the list, then rub it in with your hands.
On high heat, in a large, oiled, skillet, quickly sear both sides of the meat to seal in the juices. Remove from pan, and place on a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet (to catch pan drippings). Top each with an apple or pear slice and then 1 tsp. of brown sugar. Cover loosely with foil.
Place in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until meat is cooked thoroughly (140-145 degree internal temperature with a thermometer). I cheat, and cut into the chop to check. This will, however, release juices from the chop, so don’t do this to all of the chops. Move to a serving platter, pour pan drippings over the chops, and tent with foil. Allow the chops to rest for 5 minutes before serving, as they will continue to cook from their internal temperature.
Enjoy!
The Un-Snooty Foodie 