Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops

{oops - I forgot to take a picture before I started eating!}

While I've always loved pork tenderloin, I've never had much luck with pork chops. The few times I've had them, they've always been tough and chewy. I remember one meal that I made for Andrew just a few months after we were married (pan-fried pork chops with onions and apples) that was so bad we didn't even eat it. After one bite, he looked at me and asked if we could go out to eat. After my first bite, I agreed and we headed to Houston's for a nice, tasty dinner.

As I've gotten more comfortable in the kitchen, I realized that brining the chops is an essential step to ensure tender, moist meat. I also realized that part of the problem was that I was buying the thinly sliced, boneless pork chops. A week or two ago, I was watching Paula Deen on the Food Network and she made these pork chops and served them with the Stuffed Tomatoes. The whole meal looked delicious so I decided it was time to jump back in the saddle again and try to conquer pork chops! These were the first pork chops I've made that I actually want to make again. The meat was juicy and had a great natural flavor that was enhanced by the basting sauce. I actually used boneless pork chops but they were good and thick - about an inch or more. Paula's recipe didn't include brining but I didn't want to take any chances and fail again at cooking pork chops!

Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops

adapted from Paula Deen

for the brine

water

2 T kosher salt

1 T sugar

freshly ground black pepper

for the meat

6 thick center-cut pork chops (you can choose between bone-in or boneless)

4 T dijon mustard

2 t brown sugar

1 t molasses

2 T bourbon

salt and pepper

Fill a very large bowl with warm water. Add salt, sugar and pepper and stir well until salt and sugar have mostly dissolved. Add pork chops, cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

In a small bowl, combine mustard, brown sugar, molasses, and bourbon. Stir well. Divide sauce into two bowls, one for use on raw meat and one for use on cooked meat.

Prepare a medium-hot grill.

Remove pork chops from their brining liquid and rinse under running water. Pat dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Brush both sides liberally with the basting sauce. Place pork chops on grill and grill until chops are slightly charred and cooked, about 15-20 minutes depending on their thickness.

Brush pork chops with remaining sauce and serve.