My Chef's Hat - Chili Brined Pork Chops

I had to eat out a lot this week since I was in Minneapolis, but I realized yesterday my time was running short to make my new recipe for the week.  I love pork chops, but got bored with making it the same 2 ways, so I needed something new & different.  I had found the recipe for Chili Brined Pork Chops with Cilantro Vinaigrette the other day, and decided this was the recipe to try.  Thursday when I went to the grocery store the jalapeno bin was stacked full but I didn't buy any...of course this morning they were all out.  Two stores later, I had them.  Couldn't find habanero, but oh well.  The recipe said to brine for at least 2 hours.  Had I not taken a 2-hour nap this afternoon I could have brined it longer, but the nap was more important. 

Here's the official recipe:

And here's my version:

It can be easy to overcook pork chops, but the brine made a huge difference!  Not only did it stay really moist and juicy, but it was extremely flavorful.  The habanero might have been a little too much, but I'm still willing to try it next time.  The vinaigrette was awesome, but again I should have probably sauteed the garlic just a little bit first to remove some of the bite. 

I made this again the other day, mainly because I hadn't made it in forever. And also, because I wanted a better picture. Of course I'm using the enhanced pork chops from Ralph's Market in Perkins

I didn't realize until I was prepping the marinade that I didn't have jalapenos or habaneros. I haven't bought jalapenos in ages, because my jalapeno plant produced so much. But I forgot it was dead. Oh well, it still had a lot of flavor.

The recipe only called for a cup of Modelo--well, 1/4 cup in my case since I made it just for me, so I finished the Modelo with dinner.

Overall, a great recipe, and one I will definitely make again.


Recipe found on Gen Y Foodie