Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 2 hr 40 min (includes brining time)
- Active: 40 min
Ingredients
Pickled Red Cabbage Slaw:
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
2 large red onions, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
1 head red cabbage, thinly shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Pork Chops:
2 cups buttermilk
4 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Four 1-inch-thick bone-in pork chops
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
Canola oil, for frying
Stone-ground Dijon mustard, for serving
Directions
- For the pickled red cabbage slaw: In a small saucepan, add the vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Put the onions and cabbage in a large heatproof bowl or container and pour the boiling liquid over them. Toss to coat. Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator and up to overnight. Right before serving, add the parsley.
- For the pork chops: In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, granulated garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the brine and pork chops to a large ziptop bag, making sure the pork chops are evenly coated. Close tightly. Allow the chops to sit for 2 hours on the counter and up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Set up a breading station with one plate of the flour, one bowl of the eggs and one plate of the breadcrumbs.
- Remove the pork chops from the brine and allow any excess to drip off. Bread the pork chops by evenly coating them in the flour, followed by the egg and finishing with the breadcrumbs.
- Fit a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. Pour enough oil into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet to come halfway up the sides of the pork chops and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the pork chops to the skillet in batches and shallow-fry until golden brown or a thermometer reads 135 degrees F, 3 to 5 minutes per side. (If the pork chop breading is getting too dark while cooking in the oil, finish the pork chops in the oven at 350 degrees F until an internal temperature of 135 to 140 degrees F is reached.) Remove the chops to the baking sheet and season with salt.
- Serve the chops with the slaw and mustard.