This was a nice little dinner for us. It did take me a wee bit of time, but the results were undeniable.
Good things come to those who wait. Or those who brine. A brine is just a salty solution to rest meat in. It swells the cells in the meat and makes the meat hold more fluid. You know how when you eat a super salty meal, you get a little puffy from water retention? Same concept. Except in this case, you get deliciousness instead of imprints where your socks were.
It’s osmosis or whatever. IDK. I never paid attention in science class. Maybe if we learned about the science in food rather than the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell I would have paid more attention. Apologies to all my science teachers. I guess I was capable of learning in your classroom; I was just unwilling.
I love to brine things that have a tendency to dry out: my thanksgiving turkey, chicken, and yep… pork chops.
I had some leftover cherries from my dark chocolate cherry scone recipe, and I wanted to make them into something savory rather than another baked good. I succeeded.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4 1" thick bone-in pork chops
For the brine:
- 4 cups water
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 orange (cut into wedges)
- 3 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
For the glaze:
- 1 small onion (sliced vertically)
- 2 cups cherries (pitted)
- ½ cup port wine
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1½ tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
Instructions
For the brine:
- Combine all brine ingredients together in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, uncover and cool completely (about 30 to 45 minutes). Add 2 cups of ice.
- Place pork chops in a resealable bag or a shallow dish. Pour brine over the pork, cover or seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24.
For the glaze:
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring ocasionally, until onions are transluscent (about 5 minutes).
- Add cherries to the onions and cook for 3 minutes.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour mixture into cherry mixture and cook until thickened. Cover and turn off heat.
To grill the pork:
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Remove pork from brine. Discard brine.
- Add pork chops to grill. Grill 4-5 minutes per side.
- Remove pork from the grill and let rest 3-4 minutes. Serve with cherry glaze and a sprinkle or fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
