Three Steps to Juicy Pork Chops from the Grill Everytime…

1. THE BEST HERITAGE MEAT…

I get mine from McCalls Meat and Fish on Hillhurst in Los Feliz – if you can, get center cut, bone-in chops at least 1 inch thick. You will need one per person. Prick both sides of the pork chops with a paring knife.

2. BRINE BABY BRINE…

Here are my 3 favorite brines – a traditional, an Asian marinade and a buttermilk brine – one for every mood – the 3 little pigs of pork chops.

My fear of brine has always been packing the meat with salt but rather than do this it actually changes the meat at a cellular level resulting in a noticeably juicier finished dish. Try to plan ahead and brine the meat up to 4 hours, but even a quick 30 mins will improve the meat and is worth the extra effort.

A Traditional Brine

Water
3 tablespoons salt
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, smashed

Place the pork chops in a large bowl.

In a small pan bring 1 cup of water with the other ingredients to a boil to dissolve salt. Remove from the heat and add 2 cups of cold water to the brine. Pour over pork, cover dish and transfer to the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in advance.

Asian Marinade

1 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon sambal (red chili paste)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoons fresh grated ginger

Stir together all the ingredients in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Place the pork chops into the bowl coating each one with the marinade, cover dish and transfer to the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in advance.

Buttermilk Brine

2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons salt
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons hot sauce
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 lemon, zest and juice

In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, sugar, olive oil, salt, garlic, bay leaves, hot sauce and peppercorns. Add the zest of the lemon and juice from half of the lemon. Add the pork chops, turning to coat, cover dish and transfer to the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in advance.

3. GIRL ON GRILL…

Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Preheat the grill to medium high heat and brush the grates with vegetable oil to make a good non-stick surface.

Remove the pork chops from the brine and dab off excess brine with paper towel.

Turn the gas to medium high and transfer meat to grates. The fat from the chops will create smoke and flames – turn down the heat if it becomes excessive. Grill for 5 minutes until golden, flip and after 3 minutes turn off the heat. Cover grill and let cook for another 5 minutes. Check chops internal temperature – The meat in the thickest part of the chop should be 140 – 145 degrees F – continue checking every minute until cooked through. Remove from the grill, tent loosely with foil and let rest of at least 5 minutes before serving.

I served my 3 little pigs with roasted potatoes from the grill, rice and grilled corn on the cob tossed with parsley and lemon juice.