Sunday, February 21, 2010

Magnolia Grill's Sweet Tea Brined Pork Chops


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Chef Ben Barker of the award-winning Magnolia Grill in Durham, N.C., likes to use sweet tea as a brine for pork loins and chops. Atlanta cooking instructor Virginia Willis tried it with chops, with excellent results. "The tea brine makes them tender, moist and succulent, " she says. "The sweetened mixture caramelizes nicely on the grill, creating beautiful (and tasty!) grill marks."

Total time: 25 minutes  Serves: 4
    1 quart water 2 orange pekoe tea bags, preferably Luzianne or Lipton 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon molasses 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns 6 whole allspice berries 6 whole cloves 4 cloves garlic, mashed flat with the back of a knife 4 sprigs thyme 2 sprigs rosemary 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh 2 cups ice 4 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in pork loin chops

Instructions:

In a large pot over medium high heat, combine the water, tea bags, salt, molasses, onion, coriander, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Transfer to a sealable container. Add ice and let cool to room temperature.

Remove tea bags. Add pork chops, seal and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove the pork chops from the brine. Pat dry with paper towels; set aside at room temperature while preheating the grill.

Prepare a charcoal fire using about 6 pounds of charcoal and burn until the coals are completely covered with a thin coating of light gray ash, 20 to 30 minutes. Spread the coals evenly over the grill bottom, position the grill rack above the coals, and heat until medium-hot (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill surface for no longer than 3 or 4 seconds). Or, for a gas grill, turn on all burners to high, close the lid and heat until very hot, 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the pork chops on the prepared grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer reaches 145 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Notes:

This recipe includes 24 hours of brining time.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 323 calories (percent of calories from fat, 44), 36 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 15 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 28 milligrams cholesterol, 319 milligrams sodium.