» In and Out of the Kitchen: It’s all about the brine

Brined and barbecued chicken thighs.

Hate pork chops? Some people around here do, and have the nerve to say they’re dry. That’s not my fault. It’s the fault of those who think fat is bad and who sell lean pork.

I remember the pork chops my mother made when I was a kid as flavorful and juicy. She often seasoned them with salt and pepper and paprika, and broiled them on that old-school, two-piece broiling pan, turning once. There was always a ring of fat around the edge, a little crispy, the best-tasting part.

She sometimes breaded them, using flour (to make the egg stick, she said), beaten egg (to make the breadcrumbs stick) and seasoned Italian breadcrumbs. Baked in this protective shell, the chops always came out moist.

I haven’t had as much luck, but I like to blame the lean pork. I’ve breaded them, I’ve fried them, I’ve bought the ones at the fancy market. In truth, they can be tough — not great.

But I still want to eat them and enjoy them without my husband Eric giving them the side-eye before he even takes a bite.

The “boneless ribs” you can buy in the market work better when treated as pork chops, especially the ones with darker meat. They have more flavor and no moisture problem. But they’re not chops.

So when I ran across an article online written by someone who said she overcame the problem of dry, tough pork chops, it spoke to me.

Brining was the answer, the author wrote. Now, I know about this kind of thing and have brined chicken in the past. But what I liked about this recipe was an addition I hadn’t seen before: Along with water and salt, they used sugar. So it wasn’t just a salt bath.

You can add a bay leaf or peppercorns or herbs to the brining mixture. I usually add a smashed garlic clove and sprig of fresh rosemary. To one cup of water, add two tablespoons of Kosher salt and two tablespoons of white sugar. Increase proportionately as needed.

You’ll need to heat this up to get all that to dissolve, so cook it over medium-low heat until it’s clear. It only takes a minute. The cooking also draws flavor out of the seasonings you add.

Pour the cooled brine over the chops in a bowl and let them sit for a few hours in the refrigerator, flipping once or twice. Then cook however you usually do.

So I bought a few boneless pork chops, the very lean problematic ones, and gave them a brine for a few hours. Then Eric cooked them on the grill. And hallelujah, the angels sang and the pork was good. He said great, I said good, but I’ll take it.

I tried it for boneless chicken breasts — talk about problematic on the grill. They were much better than usual, and the bone-in thighs I threw in with them came out better than ever. Eric grilled everything together with barbecue sauce.

I made the pork chops for a crowd — brined, and grilled with commercial barbecue sauce — and they were very well received.

So for now I’m brining all the chicken and pork that’s going on the grill, and am very happy with the results. It made my food better and it’s not a lot more work. Give it a try and see what you think.

Categories: Food, Life and Arts, Local Flavor 2023

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