For the juiciest most flavorful pork chops the answer is brining!
A quick brine made from easy pantry ingredients gives you the most amazing pork chops! Once you see how easy it is, you'll always brine your pork!
Why brine pork chops?
Sure pork chops are pretty delicious even when they aren't brined, but one bite of a yummy brined pork chop and you'll be hooked.
The brining process draws in all the flavors of your brine deep into the pork, resulting in amazing flavor.
They also come out incredible juicy and and tender!
The best part is the brine I'm showing you today is your very basic brine, made with ingredients that you already have in your pantry!
Ingredients.
This is a simple basic brine that will work for pork and chicken.
It's great because it's easily made from pantry ingredients. I use this brine before I smoke my pork chops and it keeps them so juicy, tender and flavorful!
- Kosher Salt - I use Diamond Crystal, you can also use Himalayan Pink Salt or Grey Sea Salt. You want to use a coarse salt.
- Brown Sugar - I used light. Darker will provide a deeper flavor.
- Pork Chops - bone in for me!
- Water - I use filtered water from my fridge.
Variations:
These are optional ingredients that you can add to the brine.
- Garlic Cloves - 3-5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed.
- Bay Leaves - I sometimes add 4.
- Whole Cloves - a few.
- Black Peppercorns - about 3 tablespoons.
- Juniper Berries - about a tablespoon, crushed with a knife.
- Fennel Seed - about a tablespoon.
Step by step instructions.
Heat 2 cups of the water until hot. I usually just use the microwave.
Add the sugar and salt and stir until dissolved.
Add the rest of the cold water.
Place the pork chops and brine in a resealable bag making sure the pork chops are submerged.
I like to place mine in a bowl in case there is a leak, you don't want brine all over your fridge.
How long to brine pork chops?
The first thing you notice when you are trying to determine how long to brine pork chops, everyone has an opinion and they are all different.
I've seen some sites say as long as 8-24 hours and others as little as 15 minutes.
I find that the smaller the piece of meat, the less time it needs to brine.
I recommend brining around 1 to 2 hours, but no longer than 4. I brined my chops for 1 hour and they were perfectly seasoned! If your pork chops are on the thicker side you can go 2-3 hours or even 4.
Rinse or pat dry after brining?
After your pork chops have brined, your next question is whether to pat them dry or rinse them.
Like the timing, this question also has people firmly on both sides. Some people say rinse thoroughly and then pat dry, others just remove the pork from the marinade and just pat them dry.
I just remove mine and pat them dry. It's easier and there is no risk of contaminating my sink and counter by rinsing the chops.
Once the chops have been patted dry, you can proceed with whatever recipe you are going to use the chops in.
I applied a rub to mine and smoked them on my Traeger. Recipe coming soon!
You can use these pork chops in any recipe that calls for pork chops. They will simply have more flavor, be perfectly seasoned and extra juicy. If the recipe you are using has a rub with lots of sugar and salt in it, you can cut back on the amount of sugar and salt or omit all together.
More pork chop recipes:
- Honey Sriracha Pork Chops
- Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
- Pork Chops with Apple Cabbage Slaw
- Grilled Pork Chops with Espresso Rub
Recipe
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Simple Pork Chop Brine
Ingredients
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup kosher salt
- 6 cups water cold
Instructions
- Heat 2 cups of water until hot (I use a microwave.)
- Stir together the brown sugar, salt and the hot water until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Add the 4 cups of cold water and stir.
- Place the pork chops in a resealable bag and add the brine, making sure the pork chops are submerged.
- Refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
- Remove pork chops from brine, pat dry and use them in your favorite pork chop recipe.
Notes
- Garlic Cloves - 3-5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed.
- Bay Leaves - I sometimes add 4.
- Whole Cloves - a few.
- Black Peppercorns - about 3 tablespoons.
- Juniper Berries - about a tablespoon, crushed with a knife.
- Fennel Seed - about a tablespoon.
Jeff says
If you were going to brine a bunch of pork chops could u double the ingredients or would u cut back on the salt?
Pam Greer says
I would double all the ingredients. This brine is designed to be very salty because it is a quick brine, if you were going to brine for a longer amount of time, cut back on the salt.
Gurina Connie Stone says
Can you use pork chop brines for pork steaks as well?
Pam Greer says
Yes!
Ann says
Do you rinse the pork chops off after you brine them but before cooking ?
Pam Greer says
I personally just pat them dry.
Philbad says
Make SURE that you are using KOSHER salt on a longer brine time - it is much less salty than table salt.
A 4hr brine with table salt will result in a very salty chop! I'd say 1- 1.5hrs with table and up to 3hr with Kosher.
Molly says
This dish was amazing. My whole family loved it. I brined using your recipe along w/ garlic cloves for 4 hours. I also used the spices you suggested for the rub. These pork chops turned out nice & juicy. Thank you so much!
David says
Question on the nutritional values. Is this of the brine or the pork chop after it has been brined
Pam Greer says
Since I couldn't keep the information apart, it is for the brine and the pork chop together. So obviously more salt than you actually end up with.
IJ says
Don't brine for longer than 4 hours. Too much salt in this recipe, otherwise they will come out very salty.
Pam Greer says
This recipe is designed for a quick brine, that is why there is more salt in it and why I say to brine for 1-4 hours.
Cheryl says
So glad I came across this brine for my 2 bone in Duroc pork chops. I’ve been letting them brine for 3 hours now and I’m firing up my Kamado Joe Jr to smoke them with applewood chips. The only addition I had on hand for the brine was peppercorns and smashed garlic cloves.
Thanks for demystifying brining! I’ll be doing this one more!
Pam Greer says
Those chops sound like they are going to be amazing!
Karen Blakely says
I found this recipe online yesterday and decided to give it a try. I bought Heritage pork chops on sale ($13.89 a lb) and made the marinade. I did not have all the herbs but I included garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, and the fennel. I marinated them for 4 hours. The pork chops were delicious! I grilled them about 4 minutes per side and then let them rest for about 5 minutes. They were tender, tasty and very delicious.
Pam Greer says
So glad you loved them!
Jere says
So glad to find this brine recipe, I am making pork chops for supper, and honestly I don't make great pork chops.
Toni says
I love how quick and easy this is! Thanks for the recipe!
Alisa says
This brine was a game-changer for my pork chops. I will always do this going forward.
Lyn says
Wow! Super easy brine to make and I love all the variations you provide.
Katherine says
Brining the pork is such a great idea! Easy too.
Beth says
What a delicious brine! This brine looks incredible and very tasty. This is going to be such a delicious and flavorful dinner! My family is going to be all over this!