Pork Chops

I heard that allowing meat to marinate in a brine hours before cooking makes the meat juicier when cooked. Why? I really do not know. You'll have to ask Alton Brown or these people. I used this website as a guide for my first experience with brining meat. I cooked pork chops the other day and they were juicy and flavorful. I created a glaze to brush on top for an extra punch. I'm going to investigate more about brining, until then try it out!

Need for Brine

4-6 1 inch thick boneless pork chops
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups ice
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. sea salt
2 cap fulls of apple cider vinegar
1 t. Peppercorns
Olive Oil

Need for Glaze

Juice of one orange
1/4 c. maple syrup
Pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Prepare

1. On medium heat combine the chicken stock, brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, and vinegar in a large stock pot.
2. Once everything is dissolved, remove from heat and add the 2 cups of ice.
3. When the mixture is cool (which should be quickly) add the pork chops.
4. Refrigerate from 2-24 hours. I was short on time, so I had the pork chops in the mixture for 4 hours.


5. When you're ready to cook, heat a small amount of olive oil in a stove top pan.
6. Remove the pork chops from the stock pot and pat them dry with a paper towel.
7. When the oil is hot, transfer the pork chops to the pan.
8. To make the glaze, simply combine all the glaze ingredients in a small dish. Add a dash of pepper.
9. Brush the top layer of the pork with the glaze. Continue to brush the glaze on the pork chops often as they cook.


10. Cook the pork chops on medium to medium high heat for approximately 7 minutes each side.
11. Brush the pork chops with the glaze one last time before serving.

I served my pork chops with roasted asparagus and broccoli.