New and Improved TnT Foodie thread

Dr.Amber Trichome

Well-Known Member
So the way I do it, I do an overnight brine. I make sure it isn’t too salty…just about as salty as I want my pork chops. I don’t measure ingredients, but I’ll take my best shot.

Blake’s easy brine:
1/2 cup water
2 cups ice cubes
1 heaping Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

optional: (any or all)

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
A few shakes of Mrs Dash
A bay leaf
A whole clove(piece) of garlic, lightly crushed

Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the ice into a pot, bring just to a boil and dissolve the salt and sugar, take off heat.

Add ice until it is ice cold but not ALL of the ice has melted, and taste. If it’s too salty, add a little more ice.

Then cover the chops with the brine in a container, and set in the fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, remove from brine, and pat the chops dry with a paper towel. Brush a little oil lightly on to the chops, and cook, either grilled or in the cast iron pan. A few minutes per side, depending on thickness. Cook to desired temp, remove from heat and cover with foil.

They will drift up a few more degrees as they rest, so if you are using a thermometer and you want them at 150, take them off at 145.
Ok, that makes sense. I will try it this weekend. Thank you.
 

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
Ok, that makes sense. I will try it this weekend. Thank you.
Hope it works out. You can still make a sauce for them too if you like, but this way they absorb the seasoning through osmosis.

And if you rinse them under cold water after taking them out of the brine before patting them dry, you can still season them with whatever spice rub you like, just keep in mind the meat will already be slightly salted, so don’t go too heavy on adding extra salt.

But if you are going to brine them overnight, make sure the brine is just about as salty as you want the pork to be once it’s fully cooked. If the brine is too salty, a long soak will cause the pork to become too salty.

If you only have a hour or two to brine the chops, you can make a saltier brine, but there is less margin for error when you just do a long soak with a brine that isn’t too salty.
 

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
Also, when adding ice to the brine, essentially you’re just trying to bring it to below 41*F, but you don’t want a ton of ice left in the brine when you pour it over the pork, or it will dilute the brine when it melts.

So once the brine is at your desired level of salt AND it’s ice cold, remove the ice cubes from the brine before pouring it on the pork to avoid dilution
 

DarkWeb

Well-Known Member
So the way I do it, I do an overnight brine. I make sure it isn’t too salty…just about as salty as I want my pork chops. I don’t measure ingredients, but I’ll take my best shot.

Blake’s easy brine:
1/2 cup water
2 cups ice cubes
1 heaping Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

optional: (any or all)

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
A few shakes of Mrs Dash
A bay leaf
A whole clove(piece) of garlic, lightly crushed

Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the ice into a pot, bring just to a boil and dissolve the salt and sugar, take off heat.

Add ice until it is ice cold but not ALL of the ice has melted, and taste. If it’s too salty, add a little more ice.

Then cover the chops with the brine in a container, and set in the fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, remove from brine, and pat the chops dry with a paper towel. Brush a little oil lightly on to the chops, and cook, either grilled or in the cast iron pan. A few minutes per side, depending on thickness. Cook to desired temp, remove from heat and cover with foil.

They will drift up a few more degrees as they rest, so if you are using a thermometer and you want them at 150, take them off at 145.
That sounds good. I change mine depending on what I'm making.

I totally forgot to take pictures last night. Made split pea soup with some huge smoked chops from my friends pigs. Everyone had seconds. It was so damn good :blsmoke:
 

Dr.Amber Trichome

Well-Known Member
Also, when adding ice to the brine, essentially you’re just trying to bring it to below 41*F, but you don’t want a ton of ice left in the brine when you pour it over the pork, or it will dilute the brine when it melts.

So once the brine is at your desired level of salt AND it’s ice cold, remove the ice cubes from the brine before pouring it on the pork to avoid dilution
There are a lot of small, yet very important, steps . I appreciate your attention to detail. That helps me very much, thank you.
 

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
That sounds good. I change mine depending on what I'm making.

I totally forgot to take pictures last night. Made split pea soup with some huge smoked chops from my friends pigs. Everyone had seconds. It was so damn good :blsmoke:
Yeah, that’s the recipe I make for my 5yo, lol, she loves ‘em, and can finish most of a 1.25” thick bone in pork chop all by herself!

Once you learn your preferred balance of salt to sugar, a brine can be flavored pretty much any way someone wants to.

Eh, too much thinking about food today, getting flashbacks and PTSD from working in kitchens…haha
 

DarkWeb

Well-Known Member
Yeah, that’s the recipe I make for my 5yo, lol, she loves ‘em, and can finish most of a 1.25” thick bone in pork chop all by herself!

Once you learn your preferred balance of salt to sugar, a brine can be flavored pretty much any way someone wants to.

Eh, too much thinking about food today, getting flashbacks and PTSD from working in kitchens…haha






You miss it!

:lol:
 

raratt

Well-Known Member
I used to have 2 Egg-a-muffins pretty much every day when I was still working but haven't had McDs since pre-pandemic :shock:
Article makes me want one bad
Hardees used to have big baking powder biscuits they would make their breakfast sandwiches with, they were the bomb.
 
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