These buttermilk pork chops are brined for tenderness and flavor. They’re perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or Sunday dinner. So, make our buttermilk brined pork chop recipe tonight and you’ll have a new family favorite!
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Why Use a Buttermilk Brine?
I’ve learned that buttermilk is the ideal brine for pork, chicken, and turkey.
It helps tenderize pork, keeps it moist during cooking, and seasons the meat. The acidity and calcium in buttermilk help break down the proteins in meat. That makes the meat more tender.
Since pork contains a lot of water and a little salt, using a salty brine creates a reverse osmosis process (see the chart below). Over time, it allows a natural shifting of moisture in the meat.
Learn how it works in this brining article, and why:
- Marinated/brined pork and poultry are more flavorful, tender, and juicy.
- It infuses flavor, while the acidity and calcium break down the protein, rendering it more tender.
- The reserve osmosis process keeps the meat juicy.
How Long Should I Brine Pork?
As you can imagine, brining is a long process. For the best results, I recommend brining overnight or all day.
The reverse osmosis process takes about 8 hours. Although you don’t want to overbrine your meats, 8 to 24 hours is ideal.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
The ingredients for this recipe are simple. In fact, most of them are already in your pantry or fridge:
- Bone-in pork chops – I recommend using bone-in, center-cut chops as they tend to stay juicy (more on this below). Look for those that are well-marbled and at least 3/4″ thick – see our tenderizing pork chops article for more tips.
- buttermilk – is essential for the brine. You can use any type of buttermilk, including non-fat. It’s the acidity, calcium, and sodium that do the work. If you don’t have any on hand, substitute it for milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice added as a substitution.
- brown sugar – helps balance the salt and is essential for this recipe. We will just be soaking the meat in it, not ingesting it.
- olive oil – use any type of cooking oil here: olive, avocado, corn or canola, even refined coconut oil.
- garlic – fresh is best, but any type of raw minced garlic works in this recipe.
- Bay leaves – these add seasoning to the brine, but they aren’t a must-have ingredient. You can skip them if you don’t have any bay leaves on hand.
- hot sauce – or red pepper flakes for added flavor. It doesn’t add any real spiciness to the meat.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Did you know that you can freeze buttermilk (as well as milk, cheese, and butter)? Since I don’t use buttermilk very often, I freeze it on an ice cube tray Once frozen, I pop the cubes out and store them in a Ziplock bag for up to 3 months in the freezer.
What Pork Cut Should I Use?
I recommend using bone-in pork chops for this buttermilk brine recipe. Although my preference is center-cut, bone-in, other cuts will work, too. Look for well-marbled cuts for the best results.
While testing this recipe, I tried different cuts of pork, including boneless. However, boneless loin chops were not quite as tender and juicy as the bone-in.
Typically, boneless chops are leaner with less fat marbling than bone-in chops. So, the cut of meat (pork) is important here.
To learn more about the differences, read this post about the different cuts of pork.
Want a tender meat? Learn how to make pork tender with our tips!
Prepare the Brine and Marinate
To get started, let’s make the buttermilk brine. It is simple, easy, and takes less than 5 minutes to make!
First, mix the ingredients for the brine marinade.
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Add pork chops, cover, and let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours.
4 Methods to Make the Juiciest Pork Chops
This recipe works with several different cooking methods. Our preferred method is grilling, but you can also get equally great results from frying and baking.
Before cooking:
- Remove meat from the brine, and discard the brine.
- Rinse off the chops and dry them with paper towels.
- Coat with a thin layer of olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper or all-purpose seasoning (whatever your preference).
- Let rest at room temperature for 15- 30 minutes before cooking.
Then, you are ready to fry, air fry, make, or grill the pork chops. Get the full directions for these different cooking methods in the recipe below.
Frying
Fry them for a delicious low-carb and keto pork dinner. I love using my cast iron skillet or Dutch oven! Have them ready to serve in just 20 minutes or so.
Air Fry
Did you know you can air-fry a juicy pork chop in less than 10 minutes? Talk about the ideal quick weeknight dinner!
Baking
When you’re busy in the kitchen, baking is the perfect fix-it-and-forget-it method. After all, baking frees you up to focus on the other parts of your dinner.
Grilling
Grilling is our favorite way of preparing meat. There’s nothing like cutting into a perfectly grilled pork chop with those hallmark grill marks with that smoky grilled taste.
Now you know how to make the best tender, juicy buttermilk pork chops. And how brining brings out the best in pork and poultry.
With this easy, make-ahead process to brine your meat, dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Of course, you want the perfect side dishes that go well with your tender, tasty pork chops! Here are some recipes to create the perfect dinner:
Serve them with a casserole pressure cooker, biscuits with self rising flour, and roasted green beans. And, learn how to make strawberry cobbler, it would be the perfect dessert.
Recipe FAQs
No, the pork chops will not taste like buttermilk. Rather, the buttermilk gives the pork chops a rich, tangy taste.
Yes, you can use this buttermilk brine chicken tenderloins recipes, turkey, or pork loin/roasts. I love brining whole turkeys and chickens in this buttermilk marinade.
The acidity and calcium in the buttermilk help break down the proteins and tenderize the pork.
Marinate the pork chops in buttermilk for at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours.
Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork chops. If the temperature is 145ºF they’re ready to serve after a 3-minute rest. This temperature is in line with USDA recommendations on cooking meat.
More Easy Pork Recipes to Love…
- Pork Chops Pressure Cooker
- Sheet pan pork tenderloin
- Dutch Oven BBQ Pulled Pork
- Crock Pot ranch pork chops
- How To Cook Pork Steak
If you tried this buttermilk pork chop recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Buttermilk Pork Chops
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce or 1 tsp red pepper flakes + 1 tsp vinegar
- 4 bone-in center cut pork chops
- Kosher salt
- ground pepper or black peppercorns
Instructions
- Make the buttermilk brine: Whisk to combine buttermilk, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, bay leaves, and hot sauce together in a large shallow mixing bowl or Ziploc bag.
- Add the pork chops to the brine, ensuring they are completely submerged. Seal the bag, or if using a bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap. Refrigerate pork chops in buttermilk brine for at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours.
- After marinating, remove meat from the brine. Discard the brine, then rinse the pork chops well under running tap water. Use paper towels to pat the chops dry.
- Rub or brush two tablespoons of olive oil over both sides of the chops, then season with salt and pepper or all-purpose seasoning. Let the meat sit at room temperature for 15 – 30 minutes.
Pan Frying
- Preheat your skillet (cast iron is perfect for this!) on medium high heat and add 1/4" of cooking oil. Gently add pork chops to the skillet without overcrowding them. If your skillet is too small, fry them in batches.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes per side. Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat. Pork chops are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145º
Air Frying
- Preheat your air fryer to 400º for 5 minutes. Cook pork chops in air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat. Pork chops are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145º
Oven Baking
- Preheat the oven to 375º. Place the pork chops in an oven safe dish and bake for 15 minutes.
- Use a meat thermometer to take the internal temperature of the largest pork chop. Pork is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145º.
- To give the pork chops a golden, seared look, place them under a broiler for 2-3 minutes.
Grilling Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium high heat (about 375º) and lightly brush the grates with vegetable oil. Grill pork chops for 7 minutes per side over direct heat.
- Use a meat thermometer to take the internal temperature of the largest pork chop. Pork is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145º.
Serving Instructions
- Let pork rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Jack says
Can you substitute yogurt for the buttermilk?
Danielle - TFN Team Member says
You can substitute with yogurt but make sure to add some water to thin it out to the consistently of buttermilk
JeanniT says
Ive made this recipe several times and its always a hit. It’s become my go to brine for pork chops.
ELENA says
I’ve brined before and I’ll never make it any other way again. Do you think I could brine a pork shoulder?
Renae says
Yes! Do it.
Bren says
Very happy I tried the buttermilk I’ve been tempted for a while now. Pork was tender juicy and very tasty a winner
I am now going to try your chicken and marinate the same way,,thanks, also subscribing now.