Wine and Brine!

Marc and I had dinner over at Lisa and Neil’s this past Sunday night and Lisa served up some pretty amazing pork chops! I myself have never brined anything although I always thought it sounded fascinating. Seems to me that brining just takes some forethought and a little pre-production! Can I tell you how flavorful these were? Absolultely delicious. Lis was kind enough to pass on the recipe so here it is:

BUTTERMIILK BRINED PORK CHOPS
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

Preparation
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.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 chop)

Lisa served this with some rice pilaf and grilled broccoli and Neil kept us happy with a delicious Pinot Noir they had just brought home from Sonoma. Lis, do you remember what that wine was?
A great new way to prepare pork and a delicious Sunday dinner!