Sage-Garlic-Brined Pan Fried Pork Chops with Lemon Caper Sauce

By -


From "Ruhlman's Twenty" - by Michael Ruhlman (a James Beard award winning cookbook), 2011. 

The breading adds flavor and crunch and serves as a barrier to the pork loin, which will dry out if overcooked. I recommend using pork chops that are between 1 and 1½ inches/2.5 to 4 centimeters thick. If they’re too thin, they will overcook before a good crust develops.

For even better pork chops, brine them ahead with the sage-garlic brine. Brining adds flavor and makes the pork juicier. The chops are complemented with a simple sauce.
---
Pork is one of the best meats to brine because brine helps pork stay juicy. Overcooking pork is perhaps the main way people err when they prepare it; brining allows a little leeway when cooking the pork. It’s also a way to infuse the meat with flavors—here shallot, lemon, pepper, and sage.

The following brine can be increased or decreased if you want to brine more or fewer chops. Just make sure that the salt level remains at 5 percent (see for the correct proportions). This brine will also work for a boneless pork loin; increase the brining time to 16 to 24 hours. To brine a tenderloin, leave the loin in the brine for about 8 hours.

Sage-Garlic Brine

  • 1.5 ounces kosher salt in 30 ounces of water, or 50 grams kosher salt in 1 liter of water, or 1½ tablespoons Morton’s kosher salt in 3¾ cups water
  • 1 large shallot, sliced
  • 10 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 packed tablespoon fresh sage leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked in a mortar with a pestle or on a cutting board with the bottom of a heavy pan
  • 4 bone-in pork chops, each about 8 ounces/225 grams

----------

The Chops

  • 4 bone-in pork chops
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • About 1 cup/140 grams all-purpose/plain flour
  • 1 large egg, beaten with a couple of tablespoons of water
  • 1½ cup/175 grams panko bread crumbs (I used some crushed crackers of various sorts I had in the cupboard)
  • Oil for panfrying

Lemon-Caper Sauce

  • 6 tablespoons/85 grams butter
  • 4 lemon slices, each about ⅛ inch/3 millimeters thick
  • 3 tablespoons capers
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

To Make the Brine

In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the salt water, shallot, garlic, lemon, sage, bay leaves, and peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and allow the brine to come to room temperature. Refrigerate the brine uncovered until cold.

Submerge the pork chops in the brine and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Remove the chops from the brine, discarding the brine. Rinse the chops and pat dry with paper towels/absorbent paper. Let them sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before you cook them. They can be sautéed, breaded and panfried, pan-roasted, or grilled/barbecued. I think they’re best panfried.

------------

To Make the Chops

About 1 hour before cooking the pork chops, remove them from the refrigerator and season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper (unless you've brined them).

Put the flour, beaten egg, and panko in separate dishes. Dredge each chop in the flour and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg and then dredge in the panko.

Heat ¼ to ½ inch/6 to 12 millimeters oil in a pan over high heat. When the oil is hot and ripply, lay the pork chops in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the pork chops and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 more minutes. Remove to a rack while you make the sauce. (The chops can be put in a 200°F/95°C/gas ¼ oven for 30 minutes if you want to hold them or need to cook them in batches; if holding them for this long, cook them rare to medium-rare, so that they finish in the oven.) I found that cooking them about 4 minutes a side got them to the required internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Make the Sauce

Put the butter in a small sauté pan over low heat. When it begins to melt, add the lemon slices in a single layer and the capers. Raise the heat to medium-high and swirl the ingredients in the pan. When the butter is piping hot and frothing, add the parsley. Remove from the heat and stir.

Serve the pork chops, topping each with some of the sauce, including a lemon slice, and some capers.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pizza Dough

By -
2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus additional for dusting 2 cups warm water (105–115°F), divided 2 teaspoons salt MAKE DOUGH: Whisk together yeast, 2 Tbsp flour, and 1/2 cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand until mixture develops a creamy foam, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir together salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and remaining 1 1/2 cups warm water and stir until smooth, then stir in 1 cup more flour. If dough sticks to your fingers, stir in just enough flour (up to 3/4 cup), a little at a time, to make dough just come away from side of bowl. (This dough may be wetter than other pizza doughs you have made.) Knead dough on a lightly floured surface with floured hands, lightly reflouring work surface and your hands when dough becomes too sticky, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Divide dough i...
Read more

"Light" Caesar Salad

By -
I'm not sure where the "light" comes from. But this was a really good classic Caesar dressing. We even had to resort to (haha) using powdered parmesan from the store and it was still classically good. 1/4   cup   (60 mL)  grated  Parmesan cheese 1/4   cup   (60 mL)  light mayonnaise 2   tbsp   (30 mL)  white wine vinegar 1   tbsp   (15 mL)  extra virgin olive oil 1   tbsp   (15 mL)  water 1   tbsp   (15 mL)  Dijon mustard 1   tsp   (5 mL)  Worcestershire sauce 1   clove garlic , minced 1   pinch   salt 1   pinch   pepper 8   cups   (2 L)  romaine lettuce , torn, 1 small head 1   cup   (250 mL)  prepared croutons 2   tbsp   (30 mL)  cooked  bacon , crumbled In jar, shake together Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce...
Read more