Brined Porked Chops

from Cook's Illustrated

Last night we tried out a simplified brining method on our pork chops.

We placed 3/4 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 6 tablespoon sugar, and 3 quarts of water in a 2.5 gallon zip lock bag. It dissolved on its own--without heating--in a few minutes. Into the bag placed 2 center-cut loin chops (about one and three-quarters inches thick), squeezed out its air, then placed it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

When the hour was up we fired up the gas BBQ to maxium and let it pre-heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile we rinsed off our chops, patted them dry, and gave them a little rub with a teaspoon of canola oil (we wanted to make sure they didn't stick to the grate).

Next, we turned off all but one of the BBQ burners and placed the chops over the lit burner for 4 minutes on each side (keeping the lid closed, of course). After they were nicely browned on both sides (they had beautiful large brown stripes), we moved them over to an unlit burner and continued to cook them for another 5 minutes on each side (NB: we keep the original burner burning throughout the cooking process).

Now, we removed them from the BBQ and let them them have a rest for about 10 minutes under a lose aluminum tent (this resting time is crucial because it allows their juices to recede).

They were juicy and perfectly cooked (I took their temperature when they came off the grill: they measured 135 degrees--after their rest they read a little over 140).

My only criticism concerns the type of chop: center-cut RIB chops are definitely more flavorful than their center-cut LOIN relatives. The difference between the two, in fact, was so pronounced that if the market didn't have any rib chops that day I would delay making the dish until I could obtain them.