Pork Chop Brine. Say goodbye to dry, tough pork chops! Brining guarantees juicy, melt-in-your-mouth goodness to level up your meat-lover experience! Besides that, it carries all that great flavor right to the bone.
I remember when I was little, I would watch my aunt prepare delicious foods for special gatherings. Her skewered meat was always unbelievably juicy and flavorful! It was always a mystery to me how she kept her meat moist and tasty.
Because I look up to her cooking prowess, I learned a technique on how to achieve the same experience—brining meat makes it moist and tender.
Let’s be honest: pork chops can dry out. 😐 But don’t worry because my brine recipe is here to turn that cut of meat into a masterpiece! And no matter how you cook it, you’ll never encounter that sad pork chop again, EVER!😎
Content…Why Brining Works |
Why Brine for Pork Chops Works
Salt flavors and tenderized meat, thanks to a process that scientists can explain better than I can. Brine also helps the meat to retain moisture.
The length of soaking in a brine depends on the cut and size. The thicker the cut, the longer it takes. I typically brine the pork chops for 1-3 hours. However, a tenderloin can handle 12 hours of brine time.
Brine Ingredients
- Chicken Stock adds flavor to the brine.
- Salt pulls moisture from the meat, then puts it back in. I used kosher salt, but table salt works if that’s what you have.
- Brown Sugar is regular sugar with a little molasses. It adds flavor and reduces the saltiness. You can omit this ingredient, but increasing it could cause the meat to burn more easily.
- Spices – Black peppercorns add a zing, while garlic, bay leaves, and thyme deliver aromatic herbiness. Feel free to switch out these basic seasonings with your favorite mix.
- Orange creates a balancing citrus acidity that enhances the pork’s flavor. Sour oranges, lemons, and apple cider are also quite good.
- Ice Cold Water keeps you from having to put that huge pot in the fridge for the brining time. The pork usually brines from 30 minutes to 4 hours. Please store it in the refrigerator if brining it longer than an hour.
How to Brine Pork Chops
- Heat chicken stock.
- Mix the salt, sugar, cracked peppercorn, and garlic in a pot. Then, pour in the hot chicken stock and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Then add bay leaves, thyme, and orange slices.
- Stir and add 2 cups of ice water. (Photos 1-3)
- Submerge – Add the pork chop and fully submerge in the brine. (Photo 4)
- Brine – Cover the pot or container with a lid. Place the pork to brine in the fridge for 1-3 hours but not over 24 hours because the meat will become too soft and salty.
- Dry – Remove the pork chops from the brine, then rinse (optional) and pat dry before cooking.
Recipe Notes
- Brined meats tend to cook faster, so a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat is a reasonable precaution.
- Brining for 3-4 hours is the sweet spot. You can over-brine meat, so keep that in mind.
- An easy way to adjust the amount of brine is remembering that it’s 34 grams of salt per liter of water and stock.
- For your food safety, please discard the brine solution after use.
- You can also dry brine pork chops by generously salting your pork chop and letting it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Rinse, pat dry, season, and cook.
How to Cook Brined Pork
You can use your brined pork for grilling, frying, smoking, and roasting. Ideal recipes to try this with are stuffed pork chops, oven-baked pork chops, air fryer pork chops, grilled pork, and pork loin.
More Flavorful Spice Recipes to Try
- Homemade Curry Powder
- Creole Seasoning
- Caribbean Jerk Barbecue Ribs
- Italian Seasoning
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos
Pork Chop Brine
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (475ml) chicken stock
- ¼ cup (72g) kosher salt
- ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons (5g) black peppercorns, cracked
- 4-6 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 orange, sliced
- 2 cups (475ml) ice water
- 4 pork chops (rib chops are the most tender)
Instructions
- Heat the chicken broth in a large pot. Add the salt, sugar, cracked peppercorn, and garlic and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve.
- Add the bay leaves, thyme, and orange slices. Stir in 2 cups of ice water.
- Place the pork chops in the pot, making sure they're submerged in the brine solution.
- Cover the pot or container with a lid. Place the pork to brine in the fridge for 1-3 hours, but not over 24 hours, as the meat will become too mushy and salty.
- Remove the pork chops from the brine, then rinse and pat dry before cooking.
Tips & Notes:
- Brined meats tend to cook faster, so a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat is a reasonable precaution.
- Brining for 3-4 hours is the sweet spot. You can over brine meat, so keep that in mind.
- An easy way to adjust the amount of brine is remembering that it’s 34 grams of salt to a liter of water and stock.
- For your food safety, please discard the brine solution after use.
- You can also dry brine pork chops by generously salting your pork chop and letting it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Rinse, pat dry, season, and cook.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Jessica McMullan says
Could I make the brine the day before but then actually brine the pork day of cooking?
Imma says
Hi Jessica. I don’t see why not. Just make sure you refrigerate the brine if you are not using it right away.
Mimi Herring says
I finally can cook a great pork chop!
Imma says
Yep, brining does make a huge difference! Thanks for stopping by, Mimi!