I found this recipe a couple of years ago, held onto it and decided recently to give it a try. It’s kind of amazing. We loved these chops! Pickle juice is vinegar based and so it makes for the perfect brine, especially if your pickles are like ours ~ with lots of garlic and spice from peppers. You don’t need a pickle brine with the extra enhancements. Any dill pickle juice will do. If you want to add spice to the pickle juice, you can spoon in a little horseradish or sliced jalapeños. The brine does not give the pork chops a pickle flavor. It tenderizes and leaves the meat perfectly plump and ready for whatever spice rub or sauce you’d like to add. The other nice thing about this dill pickle brine is there is very little sugar, which often causes the meat to burn when grilling.
Enjoy these chops with a nice salad or grilled vegetables.
Makes 4 Chops
INGREDIENTS
- 4 bone-in 1 to 2 inch thick cut pork chops
- 1-1/2 to 2 C dill pickle juice, strained
- 2 T honey or agave
- 3 T fresh garlic, minced
- 1 T whole black peppercorns
- 1 T Kosher salt, plus more for grilling chops
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 T smoked paprika
- 1 T toasted cumin
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1 T onion powder
- 1/2 T Kosher salt
- 1/2 T cracked black pepper
In a medium bowl, add pickle juice, honey, minced garlic, black peppercorns and 1 tablespoon salt. Whisk well to incorporate. In a large deep bowl, place the chops and completely cover with the mixed brine. The chops should be fully submerged in the brine. If the brine doesn’t completely cover the chops, you can add a little water. Brine chops for 4 hours or even better, over night. When done brining, remove the chops from the brine and onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Discard brine. Pat the chops dry with a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, combine paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over both sides of chops. Sprinkle spice rub on chops and with your fingertips, massage spices into meat. Let rest for 20 min. Preheat your grill to medium high on one side and medium on another. Grill the chops on one side over medium high for 3 minutes. Then flip them over and grill on the medium heat for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until they reach 145ºF on an instant read thermometer. Remove from heat when done grilling. Place chops on a platter for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite sauces and a big crisp, green salad.