Brined Pork Chops With Spaghetti Squash
Shows us why brining is best
Justin Uchtman, sous chef at SPQR in San Francisco, moved to the city three years ago and plans to never leave. The Ohio transplant's reason: San Francisco's proximity to wine country and the access to great ingredients. "I think everything is better out here," says the young chef. "It would take a lot to make me leave."
Uchtman lives a few blocks from the restaurant, and whenever he has the night off, he cooks at home. Specialties include his grandmother's recipes for pound cake and meatloaf, as well as simply prepared meats, like these brined pork chops.
Recipe adapted from Justin Uchtman, SPQR, San Francisco
Brined Pork Chops With Spaghetti Squash
Make a recipe from Justin Uchtman
Prep Time
0
minutes
Cook Time
2
hours
Servings
2
servings
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- Pork Chops
- Whole black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon
- Brown mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon
- Whole coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon
- Water, 1 cup
- Granulated sugar, 1 cup
- Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon
- Rosemary sprigs, 2
- Bone-in pork chops, 2 (8 to 10 ounces each)
- Canola or grapeseed oil, 1 tablespoon
- Spaghetti Squash
- Medium spaghetti squash, 1 (halved lengthwise and seeded)
- Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons
- Freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons (1 tablespoon melted)
- Rosemary sprigs, 4
Directions
- Brine the pork chops: In a small skillet set over medium heat, add the: Whole black peppercorns Brown mustard seeds Whole coriander seeds Toast the seeds until fragrant and the coriander is lightly golden, shaking the pan often, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the spices out onto a large plate to cool. Remove 1 tablespoon of the mixture and use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to pulverize until finely ground.
- To a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, add: ½ cup water Granulated sugar 1½ teaspoons kosher salt Bring the mixture to a boil, using the wooden spoon to stir occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. To the saucepan, add the toasted whole spices and the: Rosemary sprigs Remaining ½ cup water Set aside to cool, about 1 hour. To a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, add the cooled brine and the Pork chops Seal the bag and refrigerate the pork chops for 8 hours or overnight.
- Make the squash: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large baking dish, add skin side down the: Spaghetti squash halves Season with: Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Use a pastry brush to lightly coat each squash half with the: Melted unsalted butter To each half, add: 2 rosemary sprigs Carefully turn the spaghetti squash halves over and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and use a fork to check the squash for tenderness--it should effortlessly slide in and out of the thickest part of the squash. If it's not tender, re-cover the baking dish with foil and continue to roast, checking the squash every 7 to 10 minutes to gauge its doneness. Remove the squash from the oven and uncover. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the rosemary and use a fork to scrape the flesh out from the skin--it will break apart into spaghetti-like strands.
- Remove the pork chops from the brine, rinse under cold water, and use paper towels to pat both sides of the chops dry. Season both sides of each pork chop with the reserved ground spice mixture and: 1½ teaspoons kosher salt To a medium skillet set over high heat, add the: Canola oil Once the pan starts to smoke, after about 2 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and add the pork chops, searing until golden-brown on one side, 8 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to turn the chops over and cook on the other side until browned and the chops are cooked to your preferred degree of doneness, 8 to 10 minutes longer for medium (145° on an instant-read thermometer). Use tongs to transfer the chops to a large plate and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. While the chops rest, finish the squash: In a medium or large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the remaining: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Once the butter is melted, add the squash, stir once, reduce the heat to medium, and cook without stirring until the squash is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide the squash between 2 plates. Lean a pork chop on the squash and serve.