Making Pork Juicy

Here's a quick Kitchen Cheat for you guys.

Don't you hate dry, chewy pork chops? There's are a couple of simple ways to get it to not dry out.

1) Brine the pork for several hours in a 3% salt brine. The basic brine here, is one teaspoon of salt to 200 ml (3/4 cup) of water. Most measuring cups have the metric equivalent, so just look at that. Place your pork chops (or roast or whatever) in enough brine to completely submerge it. I find that a zip bag works wonders for this purpose. Just do this in the morning before leaving the house and remove them from the bag when you get home and pat dry with paper towels.

In addition to getting moisture in the meat, it will also get the salt uniformly into the center of the meat as well. This means that the meat will be much more flavorful. Using this theory, you can add anything to the brine that you want to scent/flavor the chops. I like to use some brown sugar, bay leaves, and thyme. One thing to remember here. Don't put anything acidic in the brine, or you'll "cook" the meat, the results not being as good. If you want citrus in the brine, use the zest and not the juice.

FYI: This is a great technique for chicken too! Breasts greatly benefit from a brine.

2) If you forgot to brine in the morning, here's a quicker method of getting pork chops juicy.

Use Store-Bought Mayonnaise!

Simply take your pork chops and rub them well with mayo, and place in the fridge, covered, for one hour. When you're ready to cook the chops, simply wipe off the mayo. If you want to guarantee that the juices don't leech out of your chops, lightly dust them with flour before grilling/sauteeing/baking. Easy, right? This is especially good for very lean cuts like loin chops or tenderloin medallions. Don't worry, once the mayo is wiped off, you won't really taste it in the cooking.

One more note:

Remember, commercial pork is very lean, so don't overcook it. Contrary to popular belief, pork should be served at about medium (145°F) or slightly pink in the center. Don't worry, Trichinosis is very rare in the US where commercial pork products are concerned.

Happy Cooking!