Bachelor Farmer’s Brined Pork Chops
Adapted from the Bachelor Farmer’s recipe found on the Msp/St.Paul Magazine website
10 (16 oz.) double-cut pork chops
1 cup kosher salt
2 T. cure #1 (your local butcher might have it, or you can order it online)
2/3 sugar
1 carrot, finely sliced
1 celery stalk, finely sliced
6 whole cloves
6 juniper berries (you can get from Penzey’s)
8 cups cold water
8 cups ice
Prep Day: Combine the vegetables, spices, sugar, and salts with the water. Bring to a boil. Pour over the ice. When the ice has totally melted and the mixture is cool, submerge the chops in the brine. Refrigerate for 48 hours.
Serve Day: Three hours prior to grilling, pull the chops out of the brine and pat them dry.
Have your grill at a medium heat. Brush the chops lightly with a neutral oil, then season with pepper and lightly with salt. Grill until the chops are to the desired doneness (we like ours medium rare).
When finishing off the pork chops make a Peach Sorghum Bourbon Glaze…
1/2 jar of peach preserves, about 1/2 -/34 a cup more or less
1.5 Tablespoons of sorghum syrup
2 Tablespoons of bourbon
Combine in a saucepan and heat until combined.
Drizzle the peach glaze over the pork chops and serve.
Northerly Nosh 