Pickle Brined Pork Chops With Mushroom Escabeche And Smashed Potatoes Recipes

PORK CHOPS WITH SMASHED POTATOES AND CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add 2 teaspoons salt, partially cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, then return the potatoes to the pot and coarsely mash with a large spoon. Cover and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, make the chimichurri sauce: Pulse the parsley, cilantro, olive oil, shallot, garlic, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a food processor to form a coarse paste.
• Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Pat the pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper. Lightly brush the grill pan with olive oil, then grill the chops until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve the pork chops and potatoes with the chimichurri sauce.

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES AND GARLIC SMASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Put the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan, cover with cold water and season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and continue cooking until tender, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.
• Meanwhile, rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add 1 teaspoon olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onion and apples and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider.
• Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan; add the buttermilk and mash, adding cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops, onion and apples. Drizzle with the pan juices.

PICKLE JUICE-BRINED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Place the pork chops in shallow dish and pour the pickle juice over. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Drain off and discard the brine. Pat the pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper.
• In a large cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering but not smoking. If using the dill sprigs, press half onto 1 side of the pork chops. Place the pork chops, dill-side down, in the skillet and cook until browned and crisp on that first side, about 3 minutes. Press the rest of the dill on the top side of the pork chops and flip. Immediately transfer the skillet to the oven.
• Roast the pork chops for about 10 minutes, until the meat springs back when you give it a forceful poke with your finger, 145°F (60°C) on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion. The timing will vary somewhat depending on the thickness of your chops.
• Let the pork chops rest for 5 minutes before digging in.

PICKLE-BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH MUSHROOM ESCABECHE AND SMASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• For brining the pork chops: Combine the salt, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, lemon peels and parsley with 3 quarts water in a large pot or bowl and whisk together. Add the pork chops, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, turning once halfway through. This may seem like a long time, but these are seriously big pork chops. Brining will make your pork so tender and flavor it throughout.
• For the smashed potatoes: Place the potatoes in large pot and cover with salted cold water. The potatoes will soak up that salt like pasta and it will make a big difference in flavor. Cover and bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and return them to the same pot, allowing them to dry. Melt the butter with the half-and-half in a small saucepot over low heat. Add to the potatoes along with the cream cheese and season with salt and pepper. Smash with a potato masher and set aside, keeping warm until ready to serve.
• For the mushroom escabeche: Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until lightly browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and reserve. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepot over medium heat and saute the garlic and shallots until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar, chili flakes and lemon zest and juice. Bring to a simmer and then turn off the heat. Return the reserved mushrooms to the pot, toss to combine and absorb all of that flavor. Garnish with parsley.
• For preparing the pork chops: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Remove the chops from the brine and dry completely with paper towels. Drizzle with canola oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place the chops on the grill and sear until browned, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a sheet tray and finish cooking in the oven until an internal temperature reaches 135 to 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes.
• Serve the pork chops over the smashed potatoes and top with the mushrooms.

PICKLE BRINED PORK CHOPS | TRAEGER GRILLS

Steps:

• Put the pork chops and pickle brine in a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
• Season generously with black pepper.
• When ready to cook, set the Traeger to 300℉ and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.
• Put the chops directly on the grill grate and grill, turning once, for about 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of the chop is at least 145℉.
• Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH SOFT PARMIGIANO POLENTA

Steps:

• For the brine:
• To make the brine: In a large container, add all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Submerse the pork chops in the brine and refrigerate for 3 days. After 3 days remove the chops from the brine, discarding the brine.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan. Roll the fat edge of each pork chop with the fennel pollen. Place porks chop gently on the preheated grill or grill pan. After 3 to 4 minutes rotate the chops 90 degrees to create lovely grill marks. Grill the chops for another 3 to 4 minutes and then turn over and repeat the process. If the chops seem to be burning move the chops to a cooler part of the grill to allow for longer cooking time without burning. Stand the chops up so the fat edge is in contact with the grill to crisp up the fat edge, this will also make the fennel pollen very aromatic. Remove the chops from the grill and let rest in a warm place before serving. The doneness of the meat should be about medium to medium well and very juicy. Serve with polenta.
• In a medium size saucepan, bring the milk, water and bay leaf to a boil. Season generously with salt, almost to the point of over seasoning. How do you know that you are there? TASTE IT! When it has reached a boil, slowly whisk in the polenta in small sprinkles. Once all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta for 30 to 40 minutes, adding water if the polenta becomes too thick to loosen it up.
• When the polenta is thoroughly cooked, it should look creamy and not feel gritty on your tongue. Remove it from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano and mascarpone. Serve it immediately, or place a sheet of plastic wrap right on the surface of the polenta to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
• To reheat: Add a little water to the polenta and heat over low to medium heat stirring constantly to prevent burning.