Thick Brined Pork Chops Over Charcoal

Method

1. Brine for four hours

   Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water, add the aromatics, and submerge the chops. Four hours in the fridge is the sweet spot; overnight makes the texture spongy and slightly ham-like. Rinse and dry thoroughly afterwards.

2. Dry the surface properly

   Pat them completely dry and leave them uncovered on a rack in the fridge for an hour if you have time. Brined meat is wet meat, and wet meat will not brown. This step is the difference between a crust and a steam.

3. Two-zone at 150°C (300°F)

   Bank a moderate bed of coals to one side. You want around 150°C (300°F) on the indirect side. Season the chops with pepper only at this point, since the brine has handled the salt.

4. Indirect to 55°C (135°F)

   Chops on the cool side, lid on, vent over the meat. Cook to an internal 55°C (135°F), around 20 minutes. Probe the centre of the meat, not near the bone, which reads cooler.

5. Sear both sides and the fat edge

   Oil lightly and move them over the coals. Two minutes a side for colour, then hold each chop on its fat edge with tongs for a minute so the fat renders and crisps. Pull at 65°C (145°F).

6. Rest five minutes

   The USDA safe temperature for whole-muscle pork has been 65°C (145°F) since 2011, with a three minute rest. It will be faintly pink in the centre and that is correct. Cooking to 70°C (160°F) is what made a generation believe pork was dry.

Notes worth knowing

• Thin chops cannot be reverse seared usefully. Under an inch, just sear hot and fast and pull immediately at 65°C (145°F).
• Bone-in beats boneless here. The bone slows the cook near it and gives you a wider window before overcooking.
• Do not brine pre-brined supermarket pork, often labelled as enhanced or containing a solution. It will end up unpleasantly salty.

Common questions

Is pink pork safe?

Yes. Whole-muscle pork is safe at 65°C (145°F) with a three minute rest, which leaves a faint pink blush. The old 70°C (160°F) guidance related to trichinella, which is effectively absent from modern commercial pork and is killed well below 65°C (145°F) anyway.

Does brining make meat juicier or just saltier?

Both, and the juiciness is real. Salt denatures muscle proteins so they hold more water and lose less during cooking. The effect is most useful on lean cuts like modern pork loin chops.