Pork Loin Chops
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes brining time | Cook Time: 20 minutes for 8 pieces | Total Time: 1 hour | Serves: 8
Pork loin chops are super-easy and super-delicious for dinner or breakfast served on a warm, buttery biscuit. Brining the meat for just 30 minutes helps them stay moist and delicious. It truly is worth the time set aside for this step. The brine in this recipe uses simple ingredients. After brining, seasoning the pork with only kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper allows the flavor of the pork to shine through.
I love boneless pork loin chops because there is no need to trim the fat or any other prep work (at least this is how they are packaged in my local grocers). You can certainly brine other cuts of pork, but I’ve chosen the boneless loin chops for the simplicity.
If you do not have a grill pan, using another pan is just fine. I like the aesthetics of the grill marks, personally. A cast-iron or other sauté pan will certainly work.
As I said before, just seasoning with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper (which I used the coarse grind setting) is delicious on its own, but if you prefer a seasoning blend, go for it.
Serving the pork with veggies or a salad makes a simple yet satisfying meal. The glazed carrots in the photo are simply butter and oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and honey. A light zesting of lemon would be delicious over them, too.
Enjoy!
Pork Loin Chops
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork loin chops, approximately 1" thickness
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Brine:
- 1 quart water, divided
- 1/2 lemon, sliced
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 3 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Separate 2 cups of water and microwave for 2 minutes to heat. Add the salt and allow to dissolve. Then, pour into a gallon-size zip-lock bag. Add the other brine ingredients plus the ice cubes.
- Add the pork to the bag and press most of the air out and close the top completely.
- Place the bag into a bowl big enough to hold it (in case the bag leaks) and either allow it to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate for an hour, up to 2 hours.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Remove the pork from the bag and allow excess to drip and pull off any pieces of the brine ingredients that may be attached and discard. Place the pork on a paper towel-lined cutting board (that is used for meat only). Pat the tops of the chops dry.
- Drizzle the oil over the chops and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Once the grill pan is hot, place as many pork chops as can fit without them touching. I could place 4 on my 10” square pan.
- Cook until a digital thermometer reads 145 degrees, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Timing depends on your heat source, thickness of pork, etc. Adjust your times as necessary.
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