What’s not to love about succulent pork chops perfectly cooked to a pink and juicy perfection? It is an amazing meal if you can get it! I have to admit that it has been on rare occasion that I have found myself eye to eye with a pork chop that made my mouth water, and because of it have never really been a huge pork chop fan. Perhaps it’s a bad childhood memory of thin, leathery pork chops and apple sauce. Back then, I don’t think they knew about brining yet. Brining, quite frankly, is the best thing that has ever happened to the pork chop.
If you have never brined pork chops before, you cannot walk away from this great recipe! This is also the perfect opportunity to play around with brine before Thanksgiving. Experiment with the pork and then you will be ready for action come turkey-time. Check out my Tips & Tricks for more details on brining.
I personally prefer pork dishes more on the savory side, but this recipe with its slightly sweet, amazingly fantastic balsamic glaze is enough to satisfy both those with a sweet tooth and those with more savory cravings. Enjoy!
Brine the pork in a resealable bag.
Use a digital thermometer for accurate temp reading.
Slowly caramelize onions.
- 2 pork chops, 1 to 2 inches thick
- 4 cups water
- 3 Tablespoons Kosher salt (I use Morton's. The brand can make a difference in measurement)
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar ( light or dark, whichever you have on hand)
- 1 large plastic resealable bag
- 1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves lightly chopped
- 4 Tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- The key to brining is time. You have got to think ahead here and give yourself a minimum four hour window. In fact, my recommendation for the best results in this recipe is overnight.
- Start by adding the 3 tablespoons of Kosher salt and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to the plastic bag.
- Add 4 cups of water, seal and squish to dissolve.
- Once dissolved add pork chops, seal and place the bag in a small enough bowl that allows chops to be completely covered in brine.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight.
- When ready, remove chops from the brine, rinse off with cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Sprinkle both sides with freshly ground pepper and set aside. (There is no need to salt your pork chops after brining!)
- If you won't be cooking them for a bit, return them to the refrigerator, otherwise let them sit out for at least 15-20 minutes before cooking.
- I absolutely prefer a cast iron pan here. There is really no substitute for the beautiful brown crust that you get from cast iron. However, if you have one on your wish list and haven't yet gotten it, any old pan will do.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Place both chops in the cold pan then turn the heat to medium. ( I like to start with a cold pan here because the outside may brown faster than the inside can cook, so we need every moment in the pan that we can get.) You will know it is time to turn the chops when you see an opaque color change about half way up the side of the chops.
- Because we are talking pork here, it is important that you use a thermometer from this point on. I prefer any digital read thermometer. You will want a reading of 145 degrees before you pull the pork out to rest.
- Set the pork on a plate and tent loosely to keep warm.
- In the same pan, over medium heat (if using cast iron you may need to lower the heat to keep them from browning too quickly) add the 2 tablespoons of butter and saute the onions for 15 minutes stirring occasionally and being careful not to brown them so much as to soften them to bring out their sweetness.
- Add the 1 teaspoon of brown sugar to the onions and continue to cook, stirring for another minute.
- Next I pull the onions from the pan and add in the balsamic vinegar. Allow it to come to a boil then reduce heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.
- Now I TURN OFF the heat (so that the butter we whisk into the pan doesn't get too hot and turn to an oily separated mess).
- Toss the thyme and the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter into the pan, cutting the butter into small pieces and adding one at a time whisking until sauce is incorporated and smooth.
- Finish with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return chops and onions to the pan for a minute, turning once to coat both sides of the chop with the pan sauce. You can plate either whole chops, or as I prefer to do, slice them and fan them across a plate atop the balsamic glaze and onions. Plate onions and whisk balsamic glaze one last time to make sure the sauce is smooth.
