Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [29]
2. Add the pork chops to the brine and refrigerate them for 2 hours. (If brining a larger piece of pork, increase the brine time to 6 hours for thick chops and 12 hours for an entire bone-in loin, see pages 61–62 for brine times.)
3. Remove the pork from the brine, rinse under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least an hour, or up to a day.
4. To grill the chops: Prepare a hot fire in one side of a grill. Sear the chops over the hot coals on both sides, then move them to the side away from the coals, cover the grill, and finish cooking over indirect heat to an internal temperature of 130 to 140 degrees F./54 to 60 degrees C. about 10 more minutes.
To pan-roast the chops: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F./175 degrees C. Heat an ovenproof sauté pan over high heat, add a film of canola oil, and sear both sides of the chops. Place the pan in the hot oven and roast until the chops reach an internal temperature of 130 to 140 degrees F./54 to 60 degrees C., 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Regardless of the cooking method, let the pork rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: 4 servings
CORNED BEEF
Making your own corned beef is especially satisfying because it’s so easy—and so inexpensive compared to commercial corned beef. It’s also a pleasure to have a hand in what is an extraordinary transformation of a cheap cut of meat. We love simple braised brisket, like the Belgian stew carbonnade, cooked slowly in beer and onions, but to cause the metamorphosis from brisket to delicious corned beef is a different pleasure altogether. It becomes firmer, it takes on the delicious cured flavor, and, while it’s excellent for sandwiches, it can make an elegant main course for a full meal, served with, say, sautéed blanched cabbage or Brussels sprouts with a mustard vinaigrette and boiled potatoes. When making a meal of it, include an onion and carrot and other aromatics in your poaching liquid and then spoon it, strained, like a jus or a broth over the corned beef.
THE BRINE
1 gallon/4 liters water
2 cups/450 grams kosher salt
1⁄2 cup/100 grams sugar
1 ounce/25 grams pink salt (5 teaspoons)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons/20 grams Pickling Spice (page 70 or store-bought)
One 5-pound/2.25-kilogram well-marbled (first-cut) beef brisket
2 tablespoons/20 grams Pickling Spice
1. Combine all the brine ingredients in a pot large enough to hold the brisket comfortably. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the pot from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the brine until it’s completely chilled.
2. Place the brisket in the brine and weight it down with a plate to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days.
3. Remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cool running water. (Resting is not required here because the distribution of the brine will continue in the long, slow cooking process.)
4. Place the brisket in a pot just large enough to hold it and add enough water to cover the meat. Add the remaining pickling spice and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 3 hours, or until the brisket is fork-tender (there should always be enough water to cover the brisket; replenish the water if it gets too low).
5. Remove the corned beef from the cooking liquid (which can be used to moisten the meat and vegetables, if that is what you’re serving). Slice the beef and serve warm, or cool, then wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve, or for up to a week.
Yield: 4 1⁄2 pounds/2 kilograms corned beef; 8 to 10 servings
Pickled Vegetables
You don’t need vinegar to pickle vegetables. Vegetables submerged in a mild brine and left at cool room temperature (65 to 70 degrees F./18 to 21 degrees C.) will, in a week’s time, take on an appealingly sour flavor as the desirable