Spiced Cider Brined Pork Chop | Flavor Packed And Juicy

Cider brined pork chop getting a quick flame broil on the charcoal grill.  

Brining pork will give you a very tasty, juicy and tender pork chop. Brining meat is a great way to add moisture to the meat while adding some good flavor.

Ingredients:

12-14 oz center cut pork loin chop

1-1/2 c water

1 packet spiced cider drink mix

1/2 c c apple cider vinegar

1/8 c salt

1/4 c light brown sugar

1 tbsp fresh sage, roughly chopped

2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tbsp butter or 1 tbsp heavy cream

Tools needed:

Charcoal grill

Mixing bowl

Lump charcoal

Oak wood split

Mixing bowl

Wire whisk

Gallon zip top bag

Tongs

Measuring cups and spoons

Small stock pot

How to make it:

In a mixing bowl put in the water, cider mix, vinegar, salt, brown sugar, sliced garlic, chopped sage and black pepper. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk to completely dissolve the sugar and salt into the liquid.

Place the pork chop in a gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Let the pork brine for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator.

Remove the pork from the brine and place on a plate. Pat dry and leave on countertop at room temperature while you warm up your grill. Reserve the brine for making a sauce later on.

I love using lump charcoal as the heat source and oak wood for that nice smokey wood finish. 

I prefer charcoal, however, use whatever grill you have. Before placing the pork on the grill, add some oil and black pepper to both sides. The brine has enough salt in it that you don’t need to add any. No rinsing necessary. Grill to your preferred internal temperature. I like going medium with my pork chops which is 140 - 145 F. This may take around 2-3 minutes per side. There are variables that may be different than mine such as grill temperature, how close the meat is to the heat source, how thick your pork is etc.

While the pork is cooking, add the brine to a small stock pot and put over medium high heat. Bring the brine to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Char broiling really quickly gives meat a nice flavor of umami.  

When the desired temperature is reached, place pork chop on a plate to rest while we finish the sauce.

This sauce is super easy to make and taste amazing. 

The sauce is done when the liquid is reduced to about 1/4-1/2 c. When it is reduced fully, turn off the heat and add in the butter or heavy cream. Whisk in to melt the butter in and spoon over the pork when it gets plated.

Goes great over cheddar mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. Click the highlighted text for the recipe!

Enjoy!

Logan