We made these the other night along with some roasted butternut squash and braised Brussels sprouts. They turned out great. First we brined the chops using Alton Brown’s brinning recipe cut in half.
1/2 cup kosher salt (do not use iodized salt)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 Tablespoon mustard powder
1 cup cider vinegar, heated until steaming
1/2 pound ice cubes, about 2 cups
In a 1- or 2-gallon plastic covered container or heavy zip-top plastic bag, place the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns and mustard powder. Do not use prepared mustard. Pour in hot vinegar and swirl or stir with a slotted spoon to dissolve the sugar and salt completely. Allow the mixture to stand for 20 minutes at room temperature to develop flavor. Add the ice cubes and stir to melt most of the ice.
Put the pork chops into the container or bag, making certain that the meat is completely covered with the brine. (If using plastic bag, squeeze out all air.) Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove after 2 hours and keep chilled until cooking. Discard brine.
Rinse pork and pat dry.
We used boneless pork chops for this.
Season the chops on both sides with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Wrap each chop with bacon. We used about two strips for each chop. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and grind a bit more pepper on the bacon.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
Place under the broiler to crisp-up the bacon.
We served them with braised Brussels sprouts and roasted butternut squash.
