: 2 days 40 mins
: 12 people
Grilled Spiced Double-Thick Pork Chops
This recipe creates the best pork chops I've ever made at home. The brining does wonders for the juiciness of the meat. It may seem like a bit of work, but it's actually really simple and certainly worthwhile. It's an Epicurious recipe I've modified to make paleo. Also, don't be intimidated by the "serves 12" label; it scales down to 2 pork chops nicely.
Ingredients
- For brine:
- 9 large garlic cloves
- 3 quarts water
- 1/2 cup coarse salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1/2 bay leaf
- twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick rib pork chops
- 1 granny smith apple, sliced
- For spice rub:
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Directions
- Make brine:
- Lightly mash garlic with flat side of a large heavy knife. In a kettle bring water to a boil with garlic and remaining brine ingredients and simmer 15 minutes. Cool brine completely.
- Working over a bowl, divide pork chops and brine among 3 large heavy sealable plastic bags and seal bags, pressing out any excess air. Marinate pork chops in bags in a large bowl, chilled, turning them once, 2 days.
- Make spice rub:
- In a small bowl whisk together all spice rub ingredients.
- Remove pork chops from brine, discarding brine and any spices still adhering to chops, and pat dry. Season chops with salt and pepper and sprinkle each side of each chop with about 1/2 tablespoon spice rub, patting it into meat.
- Preheat over to 450°F.
- Arrange chops in 2 lightly greased shallow baking pans. Roast chops for about 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 155°F. Transfer chops to a platter and let stand 5 minutes. Pour juices from pan into a skillet, and cook apple slices in the juices over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Serve the chops topped with apple mixture.
