Juniper-Brined Double-Cut Pork Chops

Name: Juniper-Brined Double-Cut Pork Chops
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 2 bay leaves; 8 juniper berries, lightly crushed; 118 milliliters kosher salt; 2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil; 1 strip Zest from a 1/2 orange; 2 Tbsps cracked black peppercorns; 3 kilograms bone-in double-cut pork rib chops (about each); 2 rosemary sprigs; 59 milliliters sugar; 1 gallon cold water

Juniper-Brined Double-Cut Pork Chops is a gluten free, dairy free, and fodmap friendly main course. One portion of this dish contains roughly 74g of protein, 27g of fat, and a total of 592 calories. This recipe serves 8. This recipe covers 34% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. Head to the store and pick up olive oil, juniper berries, kosher salt, and a few other things to make it today. To use up the kosher salt you could follow this main course with the Low Fat Crumbs Cake (Kosher-Dairy) as a dessert.

Instructions

In a large stock pot, bring 4 cups of the water to a boil.

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Stock

Water

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Pot

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, orange zest and 1 of the rosemary sprigs until the salt and sugar dissolve.

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Juniper Berries

Orange Zest

Peppercorns

Bay Leaves

Rosemary

Sugar

Salt

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Pot

Add the remaining 12 cups of water and let the brine cool to room temperature.

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Brine

Water

Add the pork chops and let stand at room temperature for 2 1/2 hours.

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Pork Chops

Drain the pork chops. Pick off the spices and pat the chops dry.

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Pork Chops

Spices

Preheat the oven to 35

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Oven

Heat a large ovenproof skillet until very hot.

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Frying Pan

Add the oil and the pork chops and cook over high heat, turning occasionally, until crusty and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes.

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Pork Chops

Cooking Oil

Stand the pork chops upright in the skillet and add the remaining rosemary sprig.

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Pork Chops

Rosemary

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Frying Pan

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chops for about 35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone registers 14

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Bone

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Kitchen Thermometer

Frying Pan

Oven

Transfer the chops to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes; reserve the pan drippings.

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Cutting Board

Frying Pan

Using a boning knife, cut the pork chops between the bones, then run the blade along the bones to separate the meat.

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Pork Chops

Meat

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Knife

Transfer the pork chops and bones to plates, spoon the reserved pan drippings on top and serve.

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Pork Chops

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Frying Pan

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

bay leaves 8

juniper berries, lightly crushed 118milliliters

kosher salt 2Tbsps

extra-virgin olive oil 1strip

Zest from a 1/2 orange 2Tbsps

cracked black peppercorns 3kilograms

bone-in double-cut pork rib chops (about each)2

rosemary sprigs 59milliliters

sugar 1gallon

cold water

Recommended wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling are my top picks for Pork Chops. Chardonnay suits simple chops or chops in a butter or cream sauce, dry riesling complements sweet additions like honey mustard or apples, and pinot noir is a safe bet for pork dishes in general. The 7Cellars Elway's Reserve Chardonnay with a 4.9 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 28 dollars per bottle.