Lemon-Rosemary Brined Pork Chops

*This Lemon-Rosemary Brined Pork Chop recipe is from my first cookbook, The Alternative Autoimmune Cookbook. You don’t need to be autoimmune to enjoy them. This is honestly one of my favorite recipes, and it gets a lot of love from others every time I prepare it. If you’ve never tried brining before, trust me! Also, the hugest of shout-outs to my farmer, Nora, for her incredible pork and for helping feed my family for over ten years now. #nofarmsnofood  

Photo by Toni Snelling

Lemon-Rosemary Brined Pork Chops

Prep time: 15 mins + 3 hrs brining
Cook time: 6 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups filtered water

• 5 tablespoons salt

• 1 yellow onion, sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 lemon, halved

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar

• 20 ice cubes

• 4 bone-in pork chops

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, salt, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, lemon and vinegar. Bring mixture to boil over high heat, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and let sit 10 minutes.

2. Place ice in a large bowl. Pour brine over ice and stir to melt.

3. Place pork chops in a large freezer bag. Add brine and seal. To avoid spills, place bag in a large bowl and set in refrigerator for 3 hours.

4. After brining, remove chops from bag. Rinse and pat dry. Discard brine. Grill over high heat for 2–3 minutes per side. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

• Very thin-cut chops may only need 1–2 minutes per side. Pork can dry out quickly, so be careful.

*Little reminder that I’m on winter break right now, but I still hope you love this recipe. I’ll respond to all comments when I return. Thanks for embracing the slowdown with me.