The Pork Chop Brine:
2 cups cider vinegar
½ cup kosher salt
¾ cup brown sugar or molasses
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard powder
¼ cup cloves
6 cups ice cubes
½ cup Pinot Grigio wine
3 bay leaves
1 small chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, mashed
4-6 bone-in pork chops, 1 inch thick
The Breading:
2 cups seasoned all purpose flour
3 eggs + 3 tablespoons milk
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 cup Durkee French Fried Onions
½ cup old fashioned oatmeal
3 teaspoons Frank Davis Pork Seasoning
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 cup grated Parmesan
Measure the vinegar into a saucepan and bring it to a good simmer.
Meanwhile, in a plastic container, totally combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, mustard powder, cloves, bay leaves, chopped onion, and garlic cloves.
Now pour the hot vinegar into the container and stir well to dissolve everything.
Allow to stand for about 10 minutes so that the flavors marry; then stir in the ice cubes and the wine, cover, and shake until melted.
Remove the lid and add the pork chops. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
When you’re ready to cook, remove the chops from the brine, rinse them extremely well, and pat them dry.
Then dredge them in flour, then egg wash, and then Panko bread crumb mix.
Then pan-fry them in 1 cup of hot olive oil over medium-high heat in a black cast iron skillet—turning only once—until nice and crispy (just don’t overcrowd the pan).
Finally, when done to perfection, place the chops on a roasting rack in the lower half of the oven at 200 degrees until ready to serve.
Serve piping hot right from the oven with creamed potatoes and seasoned buttered green peas. Yum!
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Chef’s Notes:
This recipe produces pork that is exceptionally tender and tasty because the age-old brining technique is used. If you’ve never done brining before, by all means do these pork chops! You won’t believe what a difference a “soak in the salt” makes on this meat. Just remember to wash the chops before cooking.
