Juniper Brined Chops

Twenty years ago, I would have passed on a thick cut pork chop.   Pork chops then had the bad rap of being bone dry and tasteless. In my opinion, the key to overcoming  desert-like conditions is brining .  I have experimented with many brines over the last few years and have settled on a base to which I add spices or substitute other liquids.  The base is quite simple:

Dissolve
3/4 cup coarse kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
into 1 cup boiling water
Then add 1 gallon cold water

For this round, I choose to go with a simple spice mixture of  juniper berries,  allspice berries, and coriander.  After the brine was cooled, the chops enjoyed a 24 hour soak.   This was plenty of time to make some Parmesan thyme polenta and chill it.

Enough about the prep - lets jump to the finished product!  I wanted to keep this simple to let the chops be the star of the show.  The critics confirmed this was indeed the case.  The chops were seared in a grill pan for a couple of minutes per side then finished in the oven.  Meanwhile, at home on the range, the polenta was grilled.  Broccolini got a quick stir fry with some garlic, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Before you knew it, dinner was served. Now for the wine.  Again, the chops should be the star of the show.  A 2003 Sokol Blosser Rose of Pinot Noir seemed to fit the bill.

Like the bacon, I think 1 inch chops were the right cut choice - at least for this preparation.  Looking ahead to the next hog, and there will be next hog, I would want some loin roast too.  Holly was looking forward to stuffing a roast with Northwest goodness - hazelnuts, blue cheese, etc.  Guess we will need a whole hog.

Glad I worked out before dinner.  I think tonight is a  meat-free night, at least for me.

PS - leftovers for lunch today were fantastic.