Brown Sugar–Brined Pork Chops With Hot & Sour Peppers Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

By this point, it’s well-known that you should salt meat in advance. But did you know that you should sugar meat in advance, too? You should. I first stumbled upon this A+ tip thanks to community-favorite recipe Halfsies Chicken. This unexpected ingredient adds lots of flavor and encourages better browning. What’s more, you can apply this sweet technique (pun intended) beyond chicken—to beef, veal, lamb, and, my favorite, pork. In this recipe, pork chops get the brown sugar treatment (malty! molasses-y!), which helps them caramelize in the pan, creating a deep, dark, lacquered crust. (If you only have granulated sugar, that will work, too.) And to go with, I turn to one of my all-time favorite sides: sautéed bell peppers and yellow onions. Once melted down (be patient, this can’t be rushed), these are sweet in their own way, which is where pepperoncini come in. These spicy, zingy pickles not only add some much needed kick—but their brine serves as a pseudo-dressing to splash over the warm pork chops, too. You could serve this with nothing at all—or a simple green salad, or warm bread, or creamy polenta (for bonus points, try this Instant Pot version). And if you’re making this during warmer months, turn on the grill and try it there instead. I haven’t done this myself, yet, but you’ll keep me in the loop, right? —Emma Laperruque

What You'll Need

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Brown Sugar–Brined Pork Chops With Hot & SourPeppers

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops (about 2 pounds/907 grams total)
  
• ¹/₂ cup(106 grams) light brown sugar
  
• 4 ³/₄ teaspoonskosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
  
• 3 tablespoonscanola oil, divided
  
• 2 bell peppers, preferably different colors, thinly sliced
  
• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
  
• ¹/₃ cupsliced pepperoncini, brine reserved