Fennel-Brined Pork Chops

Name: Fennel-Brined Pork Chops
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chop)
Ingredients: 3 ½ cups water, divided; ½ cup chopped fennel fronds; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; ¼ cup kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); ¼ cup sugar; 2 tablespoons sambuca or other anise-flavored liqueur; 1 cup ice cubes; 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick); Cooking spray; 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Ratings
2 Reviews

These chops are best made with both fennel seeds and fresh fennel fronds (the flowery tips of fennel). If you can't find fresh fennel, substitute two additional tablespoons of fennel seeds for the fronds. Serve with a mixed green salad.

By Bruce Aidells

Recipe by Cooking Light June 2004

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro

Recipe Summary

Yield:

4 servings (serving size: 1 chop)

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Combine 1 cup water, fronds, and seeds in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Pour into a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups water, salt, sugar, and liqueur, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Pour salt mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add ice and pork; seal. Refrigerate 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

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Step 2
Prepare grill to high heat.
Step 3
Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Coat pork with cooking spray. Combine the rosemary, pepper, and garlic; rub evenly over both sides of pork. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

174 calories; calories from fat 34%; fat 6.5g; saturated fat 2.4g; mono fat 2.9g; poly fat 0.5g; protein 24.1g; carbohydrates 3g; fiber 0.3g; cholesterol 65mg; iron 0.9mg; sodium 469mg; calcium 34mg.

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FoodieLawyer

06/05/2012

This recipe is a consistent go-to for both weeknights and entertaining in my household. The flavor is great, and because the chops are brined, it is very forgiving if you cook it too long. My young kids love this as much as the adults. For dinner parties, I usually go all out with the fennel theme and make the CL fennel salad with oranges and olives (Oct. 2011). Give it a try!

erinwhitcomb

09/28/2010

I made this recipe as written, except I couldn't find fresh fennel and had to just use seeds. While this isn't a budget friendly recipe (Sambuca was $18 and I used nearly 1/2 bottle of fennel seeds), it tasted great and is definitely worthy of a special dinner. I made it with roasted vegetables and herbed potatoes. Delicious!

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Fennel-Brined Pork Chops

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Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (2)

All Reviews for Fennel-Brined Pork Chops

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Fennel-Brined Pork Chops

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (2)

All Reviews for Fennel-Brined Pork Chops