Brining pork chops???????

[fightingquaker13]

I have always had a hard time getting thick center cut pork chops to stay moist on the grill. I've brined, but only for a few hours. I've recently heard advice (including from Food Network) to brine for up to two three days. Is this a way to juicy pork goodness or a trip to the ER?
FQ13

[DaverZ]

i would'nt brine it for more than 12 hours,but if you keep it cold you should'nt have any problems.I brined my bird this year and it was moist and tender.

[crusader rabbit]

Brining chops for more than a few hours (or maybe even overnight) sounds a bit excessive in my estimation.  However, if you brine them in a non-reactive container in the refrigerator for 3 days, it should cause no biological malady.  Just cook 'em before the "use by" date and you will be fine.

Chops, even thick ones, are still relatively thin pieces of meat, and the brining liquid would likely reach (given its osmotic and capillary action limitations) everywhere it could reach in an overnight scenario.  Heck, brining a leg-o-pig before smoking that bad boy is only a two day process in most cookbooks.

What kind of brining juice are you using?  A mix of kosher salt and brown sugar in plain tap water works pretty well.  Lemme know how it works out for you.

[fightingquaker13]

I generally go for a mix of salt and brown sugar and 1/2 lemon (for acid) in a large stainless steel bowl. Anne Burrel, Mario's former sous chef (I've gotten great recipes from both), was advocating a two day brine. I've heard others say the same. Me, I've had a hard time avoiding dryness cooked to 145 degrees on the grill. I won't go lower (just pink inside), but I do hate a dry hunk of meat. This is doubly true as I hope to take a wild pig or two this year and moisture is much more of an issue. Keep the thoughts coming, I doubt I'm alone.
Thanks
FQ13

[crusader rabbit]

That sounds about okay, but I think you want to make sure you are using Kosher or at least non-iodized salt.  It may be my imagination, but I taste the hint of metallic iodine when I use Morton's iodized table salt. 

Another thing you can do that may help with the dryness issue is to aggressively poke that chop with a fork (or tenderizer, if you have one) and lay on some infused oil just before you hit the grill.  Too much will cause flare-ups, but a little bit of garlic-infused olive oil can make a pleasant improvement to an otherwise dry piece of meat.

On the wild pig side of things, when you do the initial rough butchering of the pig, and you put all the parts on/under some ice in your cooler, pour in about a quart of distilled vinegar.  Over the next 24 hours, as the ice melts and you add fresh, add some vinegar, too.  Takes a lot of the gamey flavor out of the pig.  It's going to be hard to keep any wild hog moist when you cook it unless you braise or stew the stuff.  And you will need to add a fair bit of fat to the mix when you make up your sausage.  Just add as much fat as you think it could possible take, then add as much again.  Traditional sausage spicing works will, but I like to throw in a good batch of red pepper flakes, too.  And garlic never hurts.

[Sponsor]

[twyacht]

Whether it's brine or marinade,.....pork is the other white meat,...."Low & Slow" is mo' betta'.

Also they can be wrapped in foil, and slow "grilled", remove the foil, last 10-15 minutes, to give it a little grill happiness...

Baste, baste, baste,....Needle injectors, with some butter/oil, helps.

[m25operator]

Brining is a wonderful technique, for chops 2 to 3 hrs should be good, 12 hrs ok, but why, now I do normally start my brine with ice, so your not heating up the meat, everything that was said I will not argue with, all valid, I killed a Javelina a few yrs back and the south Tx natives where asking, " why did you bring it back? you gonna eat it? " My response was yes, and I brined it for 2 days, and we made roast and Tacos, it was really good. If brining for a few days, dry crawfish boil spices are pretty good.

[DaverZ]

Low and slow IS the way to go.

[fightingquaker13]

Brining is a wonderful technique, for chops 2 to 3 hrs should be good, 12 hrs ok, but why, now I do normally start my brine with ice, so your not heating up the meat, everything that was said I will not argue with, all valid, I killed a Javelina a few yrs back and the south Tx natives where asking, " why did you bring it back? you gonna eat it? " My response was yes, and I brined it for 2 days, and we made roast and Tacos, it was really good. If brining for a few days, dry crawfish boil spices are pretty good.

I envy you operator. I never did get a chance to take a javelina. If I had, it would have been on the smoker or in the stew pot though.
FQ13

[MikeBjerum]

First:  If you can't find chops 1.5" thick - FIND  A  NEW  MEAT  MARKET!!!  You should be able to either buy the "thick" actually appropriate thickness chops over the counter.  If they don't carry them that way, you just select a full rack and have them cut to your specs.

Second:  Two to three hours should be plenty of brine time, but you can go up to 24 hours.  Pork is a delicate flavor, so I would be leery of over brining with strong flavors.

Note:  Regardless of how thick you buy your chops they must be brined, unless you are able to find a supplier of "heritage" pork.  Today's pork is so lean that it is dry and flavorless.  Our wonderful culture and the do gooders have driven the industry, "The Other White Meat," to the point of turning out chicken with four feet and a snout.  As a former pork producer I can tell you how much the commercial market hated my pigs, but the public that would or could work with a locker loved the cross we raised.

Always remember - Fat is flavor, and when you remove fat you must replace it with flavor, flavor, flavor!