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Brined Pork Chops with Fennel Pollen

3.8

(1)

I grew up hating pork chops. My mom used to make pork chops that were about as fat as a piece of paper (that’s all that was available back then), and she would cook them for a really long time—until they were dry and flavorless. Sadly, today so much commercially raised pork has so little fat in it that even if you cook it correctly, it can still be like eating your shoe. That’s why I love this brine—it infuses the pork with moisture and flavor, so you end up with a succulent and delicious chop. Then I crust it with one of my super-secret flavor weapons—fennel pollen. I discovered fennel pollen when I was working in Tuscany; it’s expensive but is so worth it. (If you can’t find it or don’t want to fork out the cash, toasted ground fennel seed is an acceptable substitute.) This is such a great combination of flavors that you will never think of pork chops the same way again!

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves: 6

Ingredients

3 to 4 tablespoons kosher salt
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 bay leaves
1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 cloves garlic, smashed
6 bone-in pork loin chops (nice fatties!)
2 tablespoons wild fennel pollen (or substitute toasted ground fennel seeds)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, combine 2 quarts water with the salt, sugar, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper, bay leaves, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. (The amount of salt and sugar you use depends on your personal taste.) Submerge the pork chops in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days (if you don’t have 2 days, at least brine the chops overnight). Remove the chops from the brine, discard the brine, and cook these bad boys!

    Step 2

    Preheat the grill to medium-high.

    Step 3

    Roll the fat edge of each pork chop in the fennel pollen.

    Step 4

    Place the chops on the grill over medium-high heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Rotate the chops 90 degrees to create beautiful crosshatched grill marks; continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chops over and repeat this process on the second side. If the chops start to burn, move them to a cooler part of the grill. Stand the chops up and grill the fat edge—you want to get it nice and crispy and release the lovely aroma of the fennel pollen. Remove the chops from the grill and let them rest in a warm place for 8 to 10 minutes before serving. The meat should be pink in the middle and very juicy.

  2. ANNE ALERT!

    Step 5

    This is a plan-ahead recipe! The brine takes a couple of days, but it’s really worth the effort.

Cook Like a Rock Star
TagsItalianEuropeanPork ChopPorkMeatFennelRoot VegetableVegetableMainDinnerDairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeGrillingCookbooks
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