by Jen
on September 7, 2016
I feel like pork chops don’t get the love they deserve. The pork chops of our youth were either thin cut and cooked until they were way overdone, fried or dare I mention Shake & Bake? (<— AHH! I swear I could taste that seasoning as I typed the words!)
Luckily, I had parents who were pork chop evangelists. I seriously think that a good pork chop would be in one of my mom’s top three favorite foods. I have learned to love them too…especially when they’re thick-cut and bone-in. I cannot stress enough the difference that cooking bone-in meat makes in flavor. We do bone-in chicken and pork whenever possible.
These days, I prefer to buy my pork chops from my favorite farmers at the Charlotte Regional Famers Market. Windy Hill never steers me wrong and I can always count on their chops to be melt in your mouth good. If you can find heritage pork in your area, I highly recommend the extra spend.
Ancho Chile & Cinnamon Brined Bone-In Pork Chops
My favorite way to prepare them is with a Dizzy Pig rub and cooked in cast iron, although I recently started brining them before cooking at the suggestion of my dad. (Who is my culinary ROCK!) I finish them in the oven, much like I do my Perfect Chicken Breasts.
A quick brine does wonders for pork chops…anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours. It yields a super juicy chop. The key is not to over-brine. My dad says that if you go too long on chops they start to taste hammy (which doesn’t sound appetizing at all). My last brining and cooking experiment turned out so well that I had to share the recipe with you.
I got creative by adding smashed garlic, dried ancho chiles and a cinnamon stick to my usual brine mixture.
When I served these chops for dinner Tanner claimed they were the best pork chops he’d ever had in his life. He’s super sweet to always compliment my cooking but I agree that these pork chops are special.
Here’s the recipe. Super simple!
Ancho Chile & Cinnamon Brined Bone-In Pork Chops
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