Anne Burrells Brined Pork Chops Recipes

BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH SOFT PARMIGIANO POLENTA

Steps:

• For the brine:
• To make the brine: In a large container, add all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Submerse the pork chops in the brine and refrigerate for 3 days. After 3 days remove the chops from the brine, discarding the brine.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan. Roll the fat edge of each pork chop with the fennel pollen. Place porks chop gently on the preheated grill or grill pan. After 3 to 4 minutes rotate the chops 90 degrees to create lovely grill marks. Grill the chops for another 3 to 4 minutes and then turn over and repeat the process. If the chops seem to be burning move the chops to a cooler part of the grill to allow for longer cooking time without burning. Stand the chops up so the fat edge is in contact with the grill to crisp up the fat edge, this will also make the fennel pollen very aromatic. Remove the chops from the grill and let rest in a warm place before serving. The doneness of the meat should be about medium to medium well and very juicy. Serve with polenta.
• In a medium size saucepan, bring the milk, water and bay leaf to a boil. Season generously with salt, almost to the point of over seasoning. How do you know that you are there? TASTE IT! When it has reached a boil, slowly whisk in the polenta in small sprinkles. Once all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta for 30 to 40 minutes, adding water if the polenta becomes too thick to loosen it up.
• When the polenta is thoroughly cooked, it should look creamy and not feel gritty on your tongue. Remove it from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano and mascarpone. Serve it immediately, or place a sheet of plastic wrap right on the surface of the polenta to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
• To reheat: Add a little water to the polenta and heat over low to medium heat stirring constantly to prevent burning.

PORK THREE WAYS: BRINED PORK CHOPS, FENNEL-FONTINA SAUSAGE, AND SWISS CHARD WITH BACON AND FENNEL OVER POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• For the brine: In a large container, add the salt, sugar, coriander, red pepper flakes, fennel, celery, garlic, and enough water to cover the chops and stir to combine. Submerge the pork chops in the brine and let sit in the refrigerator until ready to cook, at least 30 minutes.
• Bring the chops to room temperature before cooking. Remove the chops from the brine, discarding the brine.
• For the chops: Preheat a cast iron pan.
• Roll the fat edge of each pork chop in the fennel pollen. Place the pork chops gently in the heated pan.
• Sear the chops on all sides and cook for about 9 minutes. Remove the chops from the pan and let rest in a warm place before serving. The doneness of the meat should be about medium to medium-well and be very juicy.
• For the fennel-fontina sausage: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Season the pork shoulder with the garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, and coriander. Grind the pork twice through the large grind of a stand mixer fitted with a meat grinder attachment. Gently stir in the cheese. Add the cold water and mix lightly. Stuff the ground pork into a casing using the sausage horn attachment to the stand mixer and twist off into evenly sized links. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat a saute pan and drizzle with olive oil. Remove the sausages from the oven and brown them in the pan.
• For the Swiss chard: Coat a saute pan with olive oil. Toss in the garlic, red pepper flakes, bacon, and a couple drops olive oil. Bring the pan to medium heat. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard.
• When the bacon has become crispy, toss in the Swiss chard stems and fennel and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, as needed, and season with salt. When the chicken stock has reduced, toss in the Swiss chard leaves and season with salt. Cook the leaves until they are just wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.
• For the polenta cakes: In a saucepan, combine the milk, water, bay leaf, and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and season generously with salt. (Take the seasoning to the edge of too salty. To do this you must taste as you go. Polenta acts as a salt eraser, if you don't season abundantly here you will never recover from it.)
• Once the liquid is at a boil and is seasoned appropriately, sprinkle in the polenta, whisking constantly. Once the polenta is combined, switch over to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until the polenta has become thick. Taste the polenta to see if it has cooked through. If it still feels mealy and grainy, add some more milk or water and cook it to a thick consistency. Repeat this process, as needed, until the polenta feels smooth on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped sage and mascarpone.
• Line a 7 by 7-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Pour the polenta into the prepared pan. Cover the top with more plastic wrap smoothed onto the surface of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator until needed. (All of this can totally be done ahead of time, like yesterday! Cool!)
• Remove the polenta from the pan and cut into desired shapes. Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with a little bit of grated Parmigiano.
• For plating: Place 1 polenta cake on each plate and top with Swiss chard and bacon. Lean 1 chop on each polenta cake. Slice the sausages on the bias and plate 2 slices on each plate. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

ANNE BURRELL'S BRINED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Add all the ingredients for the brine to a large zip lock bag. Submerge chops in brine and refrigerate three days. After three days remove chops and discard brining solution.
• Preheat grill or grill pan. Roll fat edge of chops in toasted fennel seeds. Place chops gently on grill. After 3 to 4 minutes rotate chops 90 degrees to create grill marks. Grill chops another 3 to 4 minutes, flip and repeat on that side. Then stand chops on their side and sear fennel seeds. Remove chops to platter and let rest before serving.

BRINED PORK PORTERHOUSE WITH DRIED FIG SABA SAUCE

Steps:

• For the pork: Combine the salt, sugar, sage, garlic, bay leaves and 2 quarts water. Submerge the pork in the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours before cooking.
• When ready to cook, remove the pork from the brine and discard the brine. Let the pork come to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking. Pat dry.
• Meanwhile, for the sauce: Combine the saba and figs and let sit for 1 hour.
• Toss the pancetta into a small saute pan, give a little drizzle of oil and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the pancetta starts to brown and crisp, toss in the garlic and rosemary and stir to combine.
• Add the saba, figs and vinegar. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture back to a boil (BTB) and then reduce it to a simmer (RTS). Simmer the sauce until it becomes a chunky, saucy consistency. Season with salt.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle the pork with crushed red pepper and a drizzle of oil. Grill the pork for 8 to 9 minutes on each side and 1 to 2 minutes standing it up on the fat edge to crisp that up. If the pork starts to burn, move it to a cooler spot on the grill.
• Let the pork rest for 10 to 15 minutes after grilling. Cut each steak off the bone and slice. Be sure to serve the bone along with the steaks.
• Serve garnished with the sauce.

SEARED PORK CHOPS WITH GRAPE SAUCE

Steps:

• Salt the chops and let sit outside the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to allow them to come to room temperature.
• Add the bacon and 1 teaspoon oil to a saute pan and place over medium-high heat. Once the bacon starts to render, add the grapes. Allow the bacon to render and get crispy and the grapes to split open and release their juices. Remove half of the grapes and bacon and set aside. Add the port wine and red wine vinegar and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half.
• To a cast-iron pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned pork chops to the pan and sear. Cook the pork for 6 to 7 minutes on the first side. Flip over and reduce the heat. Cook for another 6 to 7 minutes until cooked through. Flip and cook the pork on the remaining sides for another 2 to 3 minutes each side. Remove the pork from the pan and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes prior to serving.
• When ready to serve, add in the reserved grapes and bacon to the sauce. Taste and re-season if needed. Pour over the chops and garnish with chives.

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season the pork chops generously with salt. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring it to a high heat. Sear the pork on both sides and on the fat edge, working in batches if the chops don't all fit in the pan at the same time. Be sure not to crowd the pan. Remove the pork from the pan and place on a cookie sheet. Finish the pork in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Ditch the excess fat from the saute pan. Give a drizzle of fresh olive oil and add the onions and crushed red pepper and season with salt. Cook until the onions become soft and aromatic. Add the apples, cinnamon and rosemary and toss to coat with the oil. Add the cider and cook until the cider has reduced by two-thirds and the onion-apple mixture is very soft and saucy. Serve over the pork chops.
• Porky deliciousness!
• September - Why We Love: Apples

MARINATED BRINED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt, sugar, sage, and garlic powder. Remove from heat and stir until mostly dissolved. Add cold water to cool the brining mixture. Place pork chops in a plastic freezer bag or other airtight container. Add brining liquid, close tightly, and refrigerate for 6 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a baking dish with about 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Drain pork chops, discarding brine. Place chops in the prepared dish and brush lightly with remaining olive oil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chops are no longer pink in the center and juice is clear, about 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

BRINED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Brine pork chops:
• Bring water to a boil with kosher salt, mustard seeds, sugar, pickling spices, and garlic and simmer 15 minutes. Cool brine completely, then add chops and chill, covered, 1 to 2 days.
• Roast chops:
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Remove chops from brine and pat dry. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chops in batches, without crowding, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. (Add oil 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time as needed between batches.)
• Transfer chops to a roasting pan and roast in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally 2 inches into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 155°F, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer chops to a platter and let stand, loosely covered, 5 minutes before serving (do not clean pan).
• Straddle pan across 2 burners and add any meat juices from platter along with wine and broth and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 4 minutes. Season pan juices with salt and pepper and serve with chops.