Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Chai-Brined Pork Chops

One thing we really enjoyed while in India was the Indian tea, Chai. It has such a wonderful blend of spices & we love the creaminess from the milk. We'd never had chai at home but decided to pick some up when we got back. We've been drinking Stash's Chai Spice Black Tea & really liking it. I was having a cup the other day & thought to myself, "You know these flavors would go really well with pork.) Thus, chai-brined pork chops.
Chai Brined Pork Chops with Quick Apple Sauce
I was right, that mix of cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom & hint of tea were just perfect with the chops. I added some honey for sweetness. The brine also helps the chops stay nice & juicy. Since apple sauce is traditional with pork, I made some quick apple sauce to top the it. I've never had applesauce with pork chops & now I will make it more often, its such a great match.

Chai-Brined Pork Chops

1 bag chai spice black tea
1 T honey
1/2 c water
1/2 T kosher salt
2 boneless pork chops

Cut open tea bag & sprinkle into a resealable plastic bag. Add the honey, water & salt. Seal the bag & massage to dissolve the salt. Add the pork chops & reseal. Place in the fridge & let brine for 8 hours up to overnight.

Remove chops from the brine, rinse & pat dry.

Cook the chops on the grill or in a grill pan until done.

Quick Apple Sauce
(not a very specific recipe so play with flavors as you like)

1 medium to large apple (we used a Zestor)
1 large spoonful of honey
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
water if needed

Peel, core & chop the apple. Put into a small skillet. Add the honey & spices. Cook over medium heat until the apples softens enough to crush with a spoon. Add water if the apple mixture appears to be getting too dry during cooking (I added about 1/3 cup to mine).

Spoon sauce over cooked chops.

Serves 2

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski
at

13 comments:

  1. KristinOctober 13, 2009 at 7:24 AM

    Loods delicious! What a good idea!! What is the greeens in the background?

    ReplyDelete
  2. katOctober 13, 2009 at 8:26 AM

    Kristin - Those are some yummy Brussel Sprouts! I'll have directions on how I prepare them later this week. Even Matt who says he doesn't like brussel sprouts eats them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MaryMohOctober 13, 2009 at 9:00 AM

    That's such a lovely meal. Love all the spices.

    ReplyDelete
  4. graceOctober 13, 2009 at 9:45 AM

    i can truly say that i've never considered using chai spices on a piece of pig. you've sparked a fire in me, kat--this sounds AWESOME, especially since i HAVE tried chai-spiced applesauce and like most people, happen to love the combo of pork and apples. all in all, i think you're a genius.

    ReplyDelete
  5. vanillasugarblogOctober 13, 2009 at 11:23 AM

    oh yes, chai with pork. good thinking! I would love this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fresh Local and BestOctober 13, 2009 at 12:19 PM

    This is very interesting! I do love having cinnamon spiced sauteed apples on the side, this just steps it up a notch! Bravo!

    ReplyDelete
  7. George GastonOctober 13, 2009 at 1:17 PM

    kat... Looks like your creative mind has done it again. These pork chops look amazing and I like your quick Apple Sauce, as well. Thanks...

    ReplyDelete
  8. LoriOctober 13, 2009 at 9:14 PM

    So funny I have been drinking a ton of chai lately and have been thinking what foods can I use it with. So this is right up my alley.

    Wow I can not believe it has been so cold already.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnshikaOctober 14, 2009 at 3:43 AM

    Indian Tea is really wonderful. And with a dash of ginger is heavenly with any snacks.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Valerie Harrison (bellini)October 14, 2009 at 5:59 AM

    I remember being served Chai tea from an East Indian neighbour long before I knew what it was. We will be in SF early November any choices for good restaurants for lunch in the North Beach, Market Street area?

    ReplyDelete
  11. JeffOctober 14, 2009 at 2:00 PM

    I have two pork chops defrosting in the fridge right now and I was thinking brine. As fate would have it I also have lots of tea. Hmmm...you win :-)

    Awesome job!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Alicia FoodycatOctober 19, 2009 at 2:25 PM

    That really is a great idea! Hmmm - I am craving chai now!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Peter MOctober 28, 2009 at 5:16 AM

    Bring pork is a wonderful method but just be careful not to brine too long - you will lose all the texture of the meat.

    Thanks for a new idea with the chai.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comments! Matt & I love to read them but if you link to online drugs or real estate or such in anyway we will delete you. Due to the amount of spam we are now moderating all comments.