Tired of dry-cooked pork chops? Then including a good pork chop brine can be one of the best steps to level up your meat dish experience! Make the best use of some easily accessible seasoning and herbs to liven up your chops.
I love making some skewered meat and roast alongside corn or salad and some sides. Can y’all tell I love to eat? Well, I got it from my auntie.
I remember back when I was little, I would always watch my aunt do some cooking preparations during gatherings. It’s so mouthwatering! (don’t judge me, a little girl should be fed well, right?) Her skewered meat was always just 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 the meat to make it moist and tender.
When cooked, pork chops usually become dry and rubbery.😐 I’m sure you’ve had an experience before. But don’t worry because I’ll help you make this nice cut of meat into a masterpiece! And no matter how you want to cook it, you’ll never encounter that sad pork chop again, EVER!😎
Pork Chop Brine
Soaking them eat in a salt-water-sugar solution (A.K.A brine) adds flavor to the chops even before cooking. It also helps the meat to retain moisture and flavor because of the added herbs and spices (you can choose your own ingredients). Using a brine makes the meat more flavorful and tender than a chop that has not been soaked in brine.
The brine is just one part of the full pork chop experience. You can check out my homemade Immaculatebites Pork Chop Seasoning for flavorful meat preparation. Then, go ahead and test it out using this Smoked Pork Chop Recipe.
Ingredients
- Chicken Stock – a savory liquid that adds flavor to the brine.
- Kosher Salt – is coarse edible salt without common additives such as iodine.
- Brown Cane Sugar -It consists of white granulated sugar to which a certain amount of molasses has been added for flavor and appearance.
- Black Peppercorns – has a sharp, pungent aroma and flavor.
- Garlic – has a strong flavor that mellows with cooking. It adds a distinctive, pungent taste and aroma to a wide range of savory dishes.
- Bay Leaves – are pungent and have a sharp, bitter taste. As with many spices and flavorings, the fragrance of the bay leaf is more noticeable than its taste.
- Thyme – Its taste is a bit earthy with lemony and minty tones.
- Orange Slices – add this to the brine for its acidity.
- Ice Water – add this to make sure that the brine is cold before submerging the meat in it.
Alternative Ingredients
- Vinegar And More – You can use other liquids such as apple juice, cider, orange juice, beer, wine, rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and stock to replace some or all of the water.
- Sugars – Use brown sugar, honey, or even molasses as a substitute for the sugar.
- Other – Add other herbs and spices of your choice and get different flavors.
How Long To Brine Pork Chops?
The length of soaking in a brine depends on the type of meat and its size, as well as the amount of salt in the brine solution. This means a saltier brine mixture equals a shorter soaking time. In my recipe below, I brine the pork chops for 1-3 hours.
Tips and Tricks In Brining Pork
- How to Cook Faster – Once brined, the pork cooks faster, so be careful and use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
- Don’t Brine too Long – You can always brine longer next time, but there’s no way to save a piece of meat that’s been brined too long.
- If Making Bulk or Lesser Portion – To measure the amount of liquid, Place the meat in the container and cover it with plain water. Remove the meat and measure the remaining water to determine the amount of brine solution you’ll need to make.
- The ratio of Salt to Water – It’s the ratio of salt to water that matters, not the amount of meat being brined. You don’t need to adjust the solution if a recipe calls for additional meat for brining, as long as all the meat is submerged in the brine solution.
- Get Rid of Excess Water – drying the meat will help develop the crust while tempering the heat, which helps to cook it evenly. Always start with a dry surface on the meat, so you get a sear, not steam. So pat the meat dry using a paper towel regardless of whether you rinse or not.
- DO NOT Reuse Brine – Discard the brine solution after use. For food safety, it is not advisable to reuse brine, even if it is boiled first.
Where To Use Brined Pork?
You can use your brined pork for any kind of cooking, such as grilling, frying, smoking, and roasting. Just be careful with the additional seasoning because it might come out salty because the brine already has high concentrations of salt in it.
More Rubs And Recipes To Try
How To Brine Pork Chops
Brining
- Start the Brine – Add the salt, sugar, cracked peppercorn, and garlic in a pot, then pour the hot chicken stock (this will help dissolve the sugar and salt). Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Then add bay leaves, thyme, and orange slices. Give it a stir, and add 2 cups of ice water. (Photos 1-3)
- Submerge the Pork – Place the pork chop in the pot. Make sure that it is submerged in the brine solution. (Photo 4)
- Let Brine – Cover the pot or container with a lid. Place in the fridge for the pork to brine for 1-3 hours but not over 24 hours because the meat will become too mushy and salty.
- Rinse and Dry – Remove the pork chops from the brine, then rinse and pat dry before cooking.
Pork Chop Brine
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup (72 g) kosher salt
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown cane sugar
- 2 tsp (4.66 g) black peppercorns cracked
- 4-6 cloves garlic
- 2 cups (16 fl oz) chicken stock
- 2 pc bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 orange sliced sliced
- 2 cups (16 fl oz) ice water
- 4 rib loin pork chops
Instructions
- Add the salt, sugar, cracked peppercorn and garlic in a pot then pour the hot chicken stock (this will help dissolve the sugar and salt). Stir until salt and sugar dissolve.
- Then add bay leaves, thyme and orange slices. Give it a stir, add 2 cups of ice water.
- Place the pork chop in the pot. Make sure that it is submerged in the brine solution.
- Cover the pot or container with a lid. Place in the fridge for the pork to brine for 1-3 hours but not over 24 hours because the meat will become too mushy and salty.
- Remove the pork chops from the brine then rinse and pat dry before cooking.
Jan Ooms says
A great recipe Imma. Made it today and enjoyed it very much. My British fussy wife even like it and that’s saying something. Greetings from the tropical part of Australia.
Imma says
Awesome! I am glad this won the Missus over :)! Thanks for stopping by!
Karly says
Do I need to add salt before cooking (after rinsing and patting the pork chops dry), or will enough salt have been absorbed from the brine?
Imma says
Hi Karly! No need to add salt before cooking. You could us.e other salt – free seasoning depending on what ever recipe you are making. Do let me know how it works out for you.
Cory C says
Did you say hot chicken stock!
Imma says
Yes. It dissolves the sugar and salt, then you add ice water to cool it down. Hope that helps.
Tom V says
This brine is simply the best pork brine that I’ve ever used.. it better than good.. it’s amazing
ImmaculateBites says
Wow, what a compliment! I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that , Tom. Crafting the perfect brine is a labor of love, and it’s incredibly rewarding to know that it’s making a difference in your cooking.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and for your glowing review.
Your support truly means the world to me
Much love,
Imma
Karen Luna says
how do you cook the pork chops after brining?
Imma says
I have a bunch of pork chop recipes. Here are my top 8 recipes. Please let me know which one you decided to try.
https://www.africanbites.com/8-amazing-pork-chop-recipes/
Kare says
How do you cook them?
Imma says
Here’s three different ways 🙂
https://www.africanbites.com/fried-pork-chops/
https://www.africanbites.com/air-fryer-pork-chops/
https://www.africanbites.com/smoked-pork-chops/
Joose Uley says
Your recipes are quite good.
This brine was perfect.
Imma says
You are so sweet, thank you!
victoria says
I made the brine recipe for my thin cut chops, brined for 2 hours and then cooked using your Fried Pork chop recipe. I am a novice pork chop cooker because I didn’t like my mom’s pork chops growing up. But, these are delicious! Everyone in the family absolutely loved them! My husband said these are better than anything he’s had at a restaurant.
Imma says
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the feedback Victoria :)! And if there’s a recipe you’d love to see, please let me know. Thanks:)
Cathy says
Can you share how you cook them
after brining? I have terrible
luck with pork chops . Thanks
Imma says
Sure thing. https://www.africanbites.com/8-amazing-pork-chop-recipes/
Here are my best pork chop recipes. Please let me know which one you try first.
Michele Wedewer says
This was amazing! Thanks for sharing! We have had terrible luck with dry pork chops. Not with this. So juicy and so tender! Was wondering if this could be used for any cut of pork? I am making a roast for Thanksgiving and would love to try this on it.
Imma says
Yes, you certainly can. I’m so glad it worked for you.
Michele Wedewer says
Oh my goodness thank you so much for this recipe! We have had terrible luck with tough pork chops lately. This was amazing! Question…I want to make a roast pork for Thanksgiving. Could I use this brine for that?
Imma says
Yes, you certainly can. I’m so glad it worked for you.
Ginny a says
I’m so excited to try this. I will only be cooking two thick pork chops. Do I still need to follow the measurements or do I cut it by half?
I’m a bit confused ty
Imma says
You need enough brine to cover the pork chops. You may be able to make less, but I don’t think half would be enough. If you have room in the fridge to store unused brine, it will last two weeks. And it goes great on chicken, too.
Laura E Bonner says
Just curious about the brine time versus thickness ratio. How long should I brine with thicker chops?
Imma says
Great question. I usually double the brining time for thick pork chops. Please let me know how it turns out for you.
Leeanne says
This brine recipe made my pork chops tender and juicy. It seems that every recipe on Pinterest and elsewhere is “the best”, “amazing” etc. etc. but the result is less than stellar. This brine recipe is quite good and I will be using it anytime I’m making pork chops.
Imma says
Thank you for sharing your love and support, yeah this recipe is developed to have perfect brine. Try other brine too for turkey and salmon, I am sure you will receive a lot more appriciation about your cooking skills at home:)
Harry says
No where do you mention the salt to water ratio although you say its very important.
Imma says
Hi Harry, If you can see the quantity of salt and water in the ingredients section you will see their ratio. It says 1/4 cup of Kosher salt and 2 cups of iced water. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love the recipe.
Happy new year!