Rosemary and Garlic Brined Pork Chops #ImprovChallenge

Hello out there in blog land.  As you read this post I am travelling from my son's home in Portsmouth Virginia to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a dive trip.  Aaaaah, the beauty of the internet and scheduling programs on your blog.

This is my second time participating in a group I joined called The Improv Cooking Challenge.  This is much like another group I am in called Crazy Ingredient Challenge.  Both groups give the members two food items that may or may not be normally paired together and challenge us to come up with a great recipe to share containing said ingredients.

This month's ingredients are garlic and rosemary.  I make some killer roasted red skin potatoes with garlic and rosemary so, of course, that was my first thought.  However, when I was making this dish I was still on my new eating plan and potatoes were not on it.  I am taking a break from the plan while vacationing but hopping right back on board again in September.

I thought about some garlic and rosemary dinner rolls.  Doesn't that sound absolutely to die for?  I thought so too but......well see my paragraph above.

I was making this recipe on a Wednesday which is a Phase 2 day of the eating plan.  During Phase 2 you mainly concentrate on eating protein and green leafy vegetables.  Read meat and salad in this household LOL.  I had just gotten a whole hog that I had ordered from my friend, Vicki's, farm and my freezer is bursting with pork.  I decided to season some chops with garlic and rosemary.  Just for the heck of it, I added some sage because I love rosemary and sage together.  Okay, admit it, you are now singing in your head "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme".  Don't you just love that song...okay if you are younger than me maybe your not singing that song but say "rosemary and sage" to your mom and she will be.

I wanted the chops to be flavored by the rosemary and garlic. Normally I would have made a paste of olive oil, minced rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper. That is outside the realm of the eating plan so I decided to brine them instead.  I put all the ingredients into a zipper lock bag and then let it refrigerate for a couple of hours before grilling.  The flavor was there but very subtle.  Next time I will chop the rosemary to release more of it's flavor.

Once the chops are brined this is a very simple meal.  Grill over med high heat with the lid closed for about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness.  They are done when reaching an internal temperature of 160*.

I served this up with Rosemary and Garlic Sauteed Cabbage in keeping with the theme.  You can find that recipe on my other blog, A Day in the Life on My Quest for Fitness.

Make sure you check out all the other Rosemary and Garlic creations following the recipe.

Rosemary, Garlic and Sage Pork Chops

3 c. water
2 c. ice
1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. agave syrup

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 stems rosemary

4 pork loin chops

Combine the water, garlic, rosemary, salt and agave in a zipper lock bag, shake to combine well.  Add the pork chops, seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs but no more than 6 hrs. (you may want to place the bag in a bowl in case of leaks)  Preheat a gas grill to med high heat.  Grill the chops for 4-5 minutes per side with lid closed until cooked through with an internal temp of 160*.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.  Print Recipe

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