Pork Chops - brined
1/2 cup cider vinegar plus 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 sugar or brown sugar
3 cups cold water plus ice (more if needed to cover chops)
few black peppercorns
Opt: bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, garlic, mustard, olive oil, vinegar
4 loin pork chops or tenderloin (about 1 1/2 -2 pounds total)
Boil 1/2 cup cider vinegar and 1/2 cup water with the salt and sugar until dissolved. Add the cold water and other seasonings, cool.
Add pork, cover and refrigerate 6-24 hours. When ready to cook, rinse twice, discard brine. Do not season before cooking.
Brown chops in olive oil/butter for 1 minute on each side. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes (4 minutes if boneless) on each side. Remove to a warmed platter, increase heat to high, boil down pan juices to make a sauce.