Pork Chop Brine (5 Minutes of Prep!)

Cast iron pan with cooked and garnished pork chops.

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My pork chop brine keeps the meat perfectly moist, juicy, and flavorful! This easy brine recipe is made with simple ingredients and comes together in 5 minutes.

Prep Time5

Brining Time30

Total Time35

Course: Dinner Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 319kcal

Author: Samantha Erb

Ingredients

For the Brine

4 cups water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons peppercorns
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves

For the Pork Chops

4 bone-in pork chops about 2.5-3 pounds total

Instructions

Add the water, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, lemon juice, rosemary, and bay leaves to a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, and then stir until the salt and sugar are totally dissolved.
Remove it from the heat and let it cool completely to room temperature.
Place the pork chops in a large bowl, gallon ziplock bag or container.
Pour the cooled brine over the pork chops. Make sure they are fully submerged. Cover them and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.
Take the pork chops out of the brine and pat them dry really well with paper towels.
Cook using your favorite method until their internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
Rest pork chops for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you can’t submerge the meat in the pork chop brine, set a timer and flip it halfway so it’s brined evenly.
To form the best crust, let the pork sit uncovered in the refrigerator after patting it dry post-brine. The surface will dry out a bit, leading to beautiful browning.
Adjust the cooking time based on the meat’s thickness. Thicker pork chops will need longer to cook than thinner pieces of meat.
I use a digital meat thermometer to check the temperature of the pork. It’s so easy to use and keeps me from having to guess!

Nutrition