I have been talking to Stephen over at The Obsessive Chef about brining pork chops. I once tried a recipe that called for brining and I forgot to rinse off the pork, so it was extremely salty. Since that little mess, I have been hesitant to try it again. I realized my mistake and will be brining soon...but for this recipe, I sort of chickened out and just did a buttermilk marinade. I was actually going to do a buttermilk brine (using salt and sugar instead of cayenne and garlic powder) but decided at the last minute to change it up. It turned out so moist and delicious...and the sauce.. well, once again, it just adds to the dish.
Buttermilk Marinated Pork Chops
Ingredients:
4 center cut, boneless pork chops
salt and pepper
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
South Carolina Mustard Sauce (recipe below)
Directions:
Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Place pork chops in a resealable bag. In a bowl, mix together buttermilk, cayenne, and garlic powder. Pour over pork chops. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but recommend from 12-24 hours.
Grill pork chops for 5 minutes on each side or until pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees (you might want to pull them off before it hits 160, they will continue to cook as they rest). Serve with South Carolina Mustard sauce... and enjoy!!
South Carolina Mustard Sauce
Adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Make at least 24 hours prior to usage for best flavor. Store refrigerated in a tightly covered jar for up to two weeks.
YUM.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried brining, either, but have wanted to.
Buttermilk is an excellent marinade. Adding salt to it is probably superfluous. I haven't used buttermilk in quite a while, but I'm going to have a go at it soon.
ReplyDeleteI still have a couple of pork steaks in the freezer. Think I'll try the SC mustard sauce.
this looks so good! I'm always up for a new pork chop recipe :)
ReplyDeleteRE: brining. I've done it many times but I must caution you all - most of our mega mart pork is ALREADY brined! Read the labels, if it says 'enhanced with up to 15% solution" then its been brined. Most of the 'moist & tender' varieties have been brined as well at the factory. DO NOT brine these pieces of meat or else you will end up with a salt lick as they will have been double brined!
Stepping down from my brine box LOL - brining is a great technique, I love to do it with chicken breasts. Talk about flavor and moisture!
Now I'm officially freaked out by our parallel marinading. I did a buttermilk pork marinade just last week! It was very similar - I just haven't had time to post it. The mustard sauce looks delicious though - I didn't think of that;)
ReplyDeleteHi there-
ReplyDeleteI purchase my meat from a free range farm & noticed that while the chicken & beef are delicious & tender, the pork tends to be much more tough. So I tried brining without luck but was able to pressure cook them with great outcome although quite limited on the types of dishes. So, I went looking for another marinade knowing that buttermilk is one used with chicken. I am trying this today (they are marinading right now) with the mustard sauce...keeping my fingers crossed that this will yield tender chops!!
Anonymous - I hope it works for you. I am sort of surprised that the brining did not work for you... hopefully this will!
ReplyDelete