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Perfect pork chop brine made with honey, brown sugar, garlic, and spices for juicy, tender, flavorful pork chops every time. This easy brine recipe keeps pork moist and delicious whether grilling, baking, or pan-searing.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’ve never brined pork chops before, get ready—this simple brine can completely transform the way your pork turns out. A few years ago, my husband and I had a truly life-changing pork chop at a local Portland restaurant, and to this day he still talks about it! It was juicy, flavorful, and absolutely unforgettable. I became determined to recreate that same magic at home, and it all started with this pork chop brine.
Brining is the secret to incredible tenderness, flavorful pork chops because it helps hydrate the meat before cooking, resulting in the juiciest chop that stays moist and juicy instead of drying out. This easy brine combines water, honey, brown sugar, garlic, peppercorns, and salt for the perfect balance of savory and sweet flavor. Whether you’re grilling, pan-searing, or baking your pork chops, this brine will give you restaurant-quality results every time.
Ingredients Needed
- Water
- Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
- Brown Sugar
- Honey
- Garlic
- Black Peppercorns
- Pork Chop, I prefer a boneless center cut pork chop about 1.5″ thick but you can use bone-in pork chops.
How to Make Brine for Pork Chops
- Combine all brine ingredients and pour over pork in a zip lock plastic bag. Be sure pork is totally immersed in brine
- Refrigerate 12- 24 hours. Rotate bag a few times.
- Rinse pork.
- Place on heated grill (350 degrees F) Depending on the thickness of your pork chop, it will take about 10 minutes per side.
- Grill until meat reaches 145 degrees F
- Top pork chop with herbed butter for best flavor.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Keep it cold. Always brine your pork chops in the refrigerator, never at room temperature, to keep the meat safe while it soaks.
- Pat dry before cooking. After removing the pork chops from the brine, pat them dry with paper towels. This helps them get a beautiful golden crust when seared, grilled, or baked.
- No extra salt needed. Because the pork absorbs salt from the brine, you usually won’t need to add much additional salt before cooking—just season lightly with any extra spices or herbs.
- Works with more than pork chops. This brine is also delicious for pork tenderloin or thicker cuts of pork if you want to use it for other recipes.
- Use a non-reactive container. Brine in a glass bowl, food-safe plastic container, or zip-top bag or some other type of airtight container rather than metal to avoid altering the flavor.
- Be sure and use an instant-read thermometer to make sure your cook your pork to the right temperature. Cutting into the meat while it is cooking to check for doneness lets all those yummy juices out which then causes the meat to dry.
- Don’t skip the herb butter on top – it gives the pork chop so much additional flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should you brine a pork chop?
The general rule for pork chops is to brine them from 8-12 hours but for these pork chops I brined them for about 24 hours which is how long the restaurant brined their pork chops that I was trying to duplicate. If you are using a thinner pork chop you will not want to brine this long or your pork chop will taste like salt and it will affect the texture.
The results were well worth the wait. Be sure your meat is totally immersed in the brine. Rotate the bag a few times during the brining process if it’s not totally covered.
Before grilling them I rinsed the pork chops off to remove any salt or peppercorns.
What temperature should cooked pork be?
You can achieve chop perfection when you cook your pork chops like a steak and use a digital thermometer to ensure the proper range of doneness. The National Pork Board recommends that you cook chops to an internal temperature to 145°F (medium rare), followed by a three-minute rest.
After the pork chops were done cooking I topped them with some fresh herbed butter for even more amazing flavor.
Can I make the brine ahead of time?
Yes! You can prepare the brine up to 2 days in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Can I reuse pork chop brine?
No, once raw meat has been in the brine it should be discarded and not reused.
Will this brine work for other cuts of pork?
Absolutely. This brine works great for pork tenderloin, thick pork loin chops, and other cuts of pork.
Do I have to grill the pork chop?
No, you can bake them in the oven or cook them in a frying pan on the stovetop in a large cast-iron skillet.
This pork chop brine is the secret to making juicy, tender, flavorful pork chops every single time. With just a few simple ingredients and a little planning ahead, you can transform ordinary pork chops into something truly special and restaurant worthy. Whether you’re grilling for summer, pan-searing for a weeknight dinner, or baking them in the oven, this easy pork brine will quickly become your go-to method for perfectly moist and delicious pork every time.
Try these other delicious recipes:
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Pork Chop Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 New York Pork Chops
Brine
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 tsp diced garlic
- 2 Tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt or sea salt
Herbed Butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp fresh chives
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Instructions
- Combine all Brine ingredients and pour over pork in a zip lock plastic bag.
- Be sure pork is totally immersed.
- Refrigerate 12- 24 hours. Rotate bag a few times.
- Rinse pork.
- Place on heated grill (350 degrees)
- Grill until meat reaches 145 degrees
Herbed Butter
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Refrigerate
- Place a teaspoon full on each hot chop. Allow to melt over meat.
Tips & Notes:
- Keep it cold. Always brine your pork chops in the refrigerator, never at room temperature, to keep the meat safe while it soaks.
- Pat dry before cooking. After removing the pork chops from the brine, pat them dry with paper towels. This helps them get a beautiful golden crust when seared, grilled, or baked.
- No extra salt needed. Because the pork absorbs salt from the brine, you usually won’t need to add much additional salt before cooking—just season lightly with any extra spices or herbs.
- Works with more than pork chops. This brine is also delicious for pork tenderloin or thicker cuts of pork if you want to use it for other recipes.
- Use a non-reactive container. Brine in a glass bowl, food-safe plastic container, or zip-top bag rather than metal to avoid altering the flavor.
- Be sure and use a meat thermometer to make sure your cook your pork to the right temperature. Cutting into the meat while it is cooking to check for doneness lets all those yummy juices out which then causes the meat to dry.
- Don’t skip the herb butter on top – it gives the pork chop so much additional flavor!
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Stephanie Phelps says
I love pork tenderloin it is so versatile and easy to make!
amanda whiltey says
i like Pork Tenderloin best!