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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Pan-fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry Sauce

    LAST UPDATED: August 16, 2018 • FIRST PUBLISHED: December 2, 2016 By Toni Dash 31 Comments

    Pan-fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry Sauce

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    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    With less than 20 minutes total cooking time, Pan-fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry-Port Sauce may become your new favorite recipe. Easy to make, the flavorful brine creates moist, tender unforgettable pork chops.

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    Pan-fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry-Port Sauce.

    There is a lot of turkey talk at this time of year. How to make the perfect bird. To brine or not to brine. Are you a briner? If you are, have you brined pork chops? It’s easy to do (much more so than a 10-20 pound bird, space-wise) and produces fantastically moist pork chops. The Pan-Fried Brined Pork Loin Chops I’m sharing today are simple to make and worth the 2-6 hour waiting time for the brining. The pork chops stand up to high heat pan frying, ending with a mouthwatering sear on the outside and moist, tender meat on the inside.

    pan frying pork chops

    One of the greatest developments for the pork chop was the official reduction in the safe doneness temperature from 160 to 145 degrees in 2011. Prior to that, the higher temperature was recommended to ward off food safety issues. Sadly that often left cuts like pork chops with a consistency of shoe leather. With the lower cooking temperatures, pork can be cooked to medium-rare leaving it moist, tender and flavorful. Since meat continues to cook after being removed from the pan, it can be removed at a lower temperature and allowed to rise to be done while it rests. This retains more moisture especially in a lean cut of meat.

    Pan-fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry-Port Sauce on white plate

    During this time of year especially, life can be a blur of obligations, entertaining and events. Not being able to subsist on Christmas cookies alone, this recipe for Pan-Fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry Sauce, is easy to prepare as well as comforting, hearty food. The simple cherry sauce is prepared as the pork sits after brining so while the chops are cooking the sauce sets up. It is made with frozen thawed sweet cherries so can be made at any time of the year.

    pan fried pork chop with rapini on a plate

    Pork Loin Chops are one of my favorite cuts of meat. They are usually around 1-inch thick and the meat when cooked has an incredible ‘mouth feel’ or texture. I think you’ll love this recipe. The brining takes 2-6 hours (passive time) and the pan-frying about 8 minutes. Can’t really beat that, right? They are great by themselves or with the cherry sauce (which is also a cinch to prepare).

    Recipe

    Pan-fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry-Port Sauce.

    Pan-fried Brined Pork Loin Chops with Cherry Sauce

    These brined pork loin chops are moist and tender thanks to a few hours soaking in a flavorful brine. They sear beautifully in a hot cast iron skilled still leaving the meat succulent. Though the recipe spans several hours, the actual cooking time is short; 18 minutes between the sauce and the pork chops.
    5 from 3 votes
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    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 421kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
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    Ingredients

    Ingredients for the Pork Chop brine:

    • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
    • ¼ cup Kosher Salt
    • 4 cups Water
    • Zest of 2 Oranges (remove in strips with a vegetable peeler or paring knife)
    • 15 Black Peppercorns
    • 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
    • 2 large Garlic Cloves , peeled and halved lengthwise
    • 4 Pork Loin Chops (2 ½-3 pounds)

    Ingredients for the Cherry Sauce:

    • 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
    • 1 medium Garlic Clove , peeled and diced
    • 1 large Shallot , peeled and diced (yield almost ½ cup)
    • 2 cups frozen Sweet Cherries , thawed with juice reserved
    • 1/3 cup Ruby Port
    • 2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar

    Ingredients for cooking the Pork Chops:

    • Kosher Salt and fresh Black Pepper to season the pork chops
    • 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

    Instructions

    Instructions for Brining the Pork Chops:

    • In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the pork chops and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully.
    • Place the pork chops in a gallon size zipper close plastic bag and pour in the brine. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Massage the pork chops from outside the bag to coat with bring and place in the refrigerator from 2-6 hours._Tip: I place the plastic bag in a large mixing bowl to keep it steady as I add the liquid and to protect the bag from opening in the refrigerator._

    Instructions for the Cherry Sauce:

    • In a medium, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots; sauté until the shallots are translucent (about 2-3 minutes).
    • Add the cherries with any residual juice from thawing, port and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring periodically, until the liquid is reduced by 2/3’s (5-10 minutes). Sprinkle with a light pinch of salt, stir to combine and remove from heat. Allow to sit in the pan while you cook the pork chops.

    Cooking the Pork Chops:

    • Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. Lightly salt and pepper the pork chops. Allow pork chops to sit for 15 minutes.
    • Heat a heavy cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and when it is shimmering add the pork chops (note: you may have to do two batches depending on the size of the pork chops and your skillet). Cook for 5 minutes; pork chops should be seared (refer to photos).
    • Turn the pork chops over and cook until the internal temperature on an instant read thermometer registers 140 degrees (3-4 minutes on the second size). Be sure to measure the temperature in the middle of the chop, avoiding the bone. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

    Notes

    The cherry sauce was adapted from Chowhound.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 7168mg | Potassium: 692mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1.1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Comments

    1. Christina Aliperti says

      December 05, 2016 at 12:37 am

      I love the sweet and savory flavor combo. These look delicious and simple enough for a weeknight dinner.

      Reply
    2. Kita Bryant says

      December 04, 2016 at 3:00 pm

      I’ve never tried making brined pork chops before! This sounds delicious!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        December 04, 2016 at 4:15 pm

        Once you do it you’ll wonder why you’d ever done them another way!

        Reply
    3. Gabriel says

      December 04, 2016 at 8:38 am

      There’s a restaurant around here that does a similar dish that’s fantastic. The perks of living near the Cherry Capital of the World means lots of creative uses for them.

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        December 04, 2016 at 11:01 am

        Sounds like a delicious place to live!

        Reply
    4. dawn says

      December 04, 2016 at 5:27 am

      5 stars
      omg they looks so good. wow. I was publix has a sale on i will have to buy a pack or two.

      Reply
    5. Stacie says

      December 03, 2016 at 8:14 pm

      5 stars
      I haven’t had a good pork loin chop in a while. I’m going to have to try your recipe.

      Reply
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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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