Into the briny deep

By Chef Kady Guyton
May 3, 2010

Brining is something that tends to be talked around Thanksgiving. Drowning a turkey in a vat of salt water for a couple of days is a tried and true method of creating a juicy bird.

A brine is basically salt and liquid - usually water, but not always. The magic of a brine is that the saline relaxes the protein strands in the muscle, which creates more tender meat, but also lets flavor get all the way through. Brine is the first chance for the cook to get seasoning into the finished product.

Brine can be used on pretty much any meat, but poultry and pork respond best to it. I've had some chefs claim that pork chops should always be brined and never for less than 12 hours. I'm not much of a stickler for rules, but I'm starting to come around to that line of thinking.

Pork today is bred to be much leaner than the pork of forty or fifty years ago. While this is good news for our health, it makes cooking it a little more tricky. Lean meat has less marbling, which translates into a drier finished product. Brining helps the meat stay juicy and is much more forgiving throughout the cooking process.

In addition to water, buttermilk also makes a great brining agent. Buttermilk is slightly acidic and lends a nice tang to meat. The calcium and enzymes help tenderize the meat, as well. The recipe below uses buttermilk, salt and sugar in the brine. Sugar doesn't actually do much to tenderize meat, but it does cut the salt flavor and helps with browning.

Brining is not a last minute project. Plan to let everything sit for at least 24 hours, longer for larger cuts. I've brined turkeys for up to three days with no ill effects. The downside is that you can't suddenly decide to brine something and still plan to eat dinner in under an hour. The good news is that assembly takes about five minutes, then you can go about your life knowing that dinner for the next day is already started.

So after the pork chops have been swimming overnight, now what? Take the meat out of the brine and discard it. (Never use leftover brine or marinade on cooked meat.) Dry the meat with a paper towels. This is important since wet meat won't brown - it steams. Then toss it on a hot grill or saute pan. How you cook it is entirely up to you, but don't add any extra salt. A few grinds of fresh pepper and a little rosemary are a great seasoning.

Enjoy and never suffer through dry pork chops again.

Buttermilk Brine
Makes enough for 4 pork chops or one tenderloin

2 cups low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
4 large fresh garlic cloves, sliced into four pieces (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine the buttermilk with kosher salt and sugar; whisk until no granules remain (this should take a few minutes).

2. Mix in lemon rind and garlic pieces.

3. Add in pork; toss to coat with the brine.

4. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

5. Remove the pork, pat dry with paper towels.

6. Proceed to cook as desired.