Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops

"As far as I'm concerned, this is the ONLY way to make pork chops."

This is a direct quote from my husband.

I was planning my menu for the week and I told him we would make a spicy sweet-and-sour pork chop recipe from Epicurious.com.  During the school year I am home late 2 nights a week and so is he.  So 4 nights a week we try to plan quick, yet delicious meals.  But when I told him my plan he quickly told me he didn't want that...he wanted his favorite: buttermilk-brined pork chops.

Now I gotta tell you, the first time we tried this all 4 of us looked at each other with extreme surprise.  Extremely tender and so incredibly packed with flavor...who knew pork could taste like this???

I'm sure you could cut out the sugar or even use a sugar substitute, but do not skip the salt; it is imperative to the brine.  Then again, so is the sugar, but it's worth a shot to try it without. We don't always have fresh lemons on hand to grate the peel, so we actually use dried lemon peel from the spice section at the grocery store. 

You can grill these on the outdoor grill or even in a grill pan, or simply place under the broiler.  Your choice.  But they are the perfect quick weeknight meal...just throw in the quick brine solution before you go to bed the night before or even in the morning (seriously, this takes less than 5 minutes to throw together!), and dinner is all but done when you get home!  Oh, and trim the fat from the chops if you're concerned about the fat, or even try on a trimmed pork tenderloin!


Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops

Though these pork chops require overnight brining, they make dinner the next night a breeze. Brine these chops up to two days beforehand. Just remove from brine after an overnight soak, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chop)

2 cups fat-free buttermilk

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray


Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; shake well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add pork; seal and refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Pat pork dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle pork with pepper.

Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

CALORIES 183 (35% from fat); FAT 7.2g (sat 2.5g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.6g); IRON 0.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 69mg; CALCIUM 43mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2g; SODIUM 345mg; PROTEIN 26g; FIBER 0.3g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2004

We made these this week in my kid's cooking class.  Yesterday when we made them, I popped one in my mouth before anyone else had tried them.  My immediate reaction was "Guys, finish making those and put one in your mouth...they are SO good!"  I was floored by how yummy this dessert was, given how easy and quick it was to prepare!  All the kids, nearly 15 of them over two days, agreed.  They are absolutely delicious! And sooo cute once you plate them up!

You can easily lighten this up by omitting the sugar or using a sugar substitute.  And if you chill the filling first, you can pipe fat- or sugar-free whipped cream on top instead of the cream cheese topping.  They will definitely look prettier if you use a piping bag fitted with a star tip, but really, we didn't care...these were so yummy they lasted all of about 2 minutes once they were all assembled!  Oh, and I just used a small bag of frozen mixed berries, thawing them out before use.  Worked out perfectly!


Blackberry Supremes


Yield: Makes 20 tarts

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 pint fresh blackberries

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar


Unfold piecrusts; press out fold lines with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Cut piecrusts with a 2 1/2-inch star-shaped cutter, and fit into lightly greased miniature muffin pans.

Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.

Bring 1/3 cup water and next 4 ingredients to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute; remove from heat.

Stir together cream cheese and next 3 ingredients.

Spoon blackberry mixture into tart shells; pipe or dollop with cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired.