Brined Pork Chops

Ingredients

1 stick MagicMix

4 pork chops, center cut, bone in

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt – to taste (about ½ teaspoon for cooking and 3 tablespoons for brining)

2 teaspoons peppercorns, freshly ground for cooking, plus 1 tablespoon coarsely ground for brining

1 teaspoon brown sugar

3 cups water

Directions

BRINING (for flavor and juiciness):

1. In 1 cup of boiling water, add MagicMix, salt and brown sugar. Cover with lid and boil for 2-4 minutes. Turn off heat.
2. Add 2 cups of cold water to the hot water mix and let it cool down for 15 minutes. You have now prepared your brine to soak pork chops in.
3. Place pork chops in a shallow dish and add brine mix to cover.
4. Let sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.

COOKING:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees (F.) Place an iron skillet on middle rack.
2. While the oven is pre-heating, remove chops from the brine and shake off excess moisture.
3. Rub both sides of chops with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
4. Place preheated skillet on medium heat on the stove.
5. Place the pork chops on the hot skillet. Sear to golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Using tongs, turn over the chops.
6. With an oven mitt, place the skillet and chops in the oven.
7. Let the chops roast for 6-10 minutes until the internal temperature is 140-145 degrees (F.) in the thickest part of the meat. Total time taken to finish roasting depends on how thick – and cold -- the chops are.
8. After 6 minutes, begin checking the temperature of the meat every 2 minutes until ready.
9. Place chops on a serving tray.Top with juice leftover from the skillet, cover loosely with foil and let sit for 4-6 minutes. Serve with sides of your choice.