Buttermilk Pork Chops

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!

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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 tender.

Since pork contain a lot of water and 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. So, I recommend overnight for the best results or all day.

The reverse osmosis process takes about 8 hours. Although you don’t want to overbrine your meats, so 8 to 24 hours is ideal.

Ingredients for this Recipe

The ingredients for this recipe are simple. In fact, most of them are already in your pantry or fridge:

• buttermilk
• brown sugar
• olive oil
• garlic
• bay leaves
• hot sauce (or red pepper flakes)
• bone-in pork chops
• salt and pepper (or all-purpose seasoning)
• optional: peppercorns for the marinade

This buttermilk brined pork chops recipe is adaptable, like most brines and marinades are. You can use any type of buttermilk, including non-fat. It’s the acidity, calcium, and sodium that do the work.

TFN 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 an ice cube tray Once frozen, I pop the cubes out and store then 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 on cuts of pork.

Prepare the Brine and Marinate

To get started, let’s make the buttermilk brine. It is simple and easy, and it takes less than 5 minutes to make.

First, mix together the ingredients for the brine marinade.

Add pork chops and let them marinate overnight, covered, in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours.

Cooking Methods for Brined Pork

There are several different cooking methods that work with this recipe. 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 is 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 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.

What should I serve with this recipe?

Of course, you want the perfect side dishes that go well with your tender, tasty pork chop! Here are some recipes to create the perfect dinner:

Serve them with loaded potato casserole, drop biscuits, and roasted green beans. And, a fruit cobbler would be the perfect dessert.

If you want more easy pork recipes, try our Instant Pot Sour Cream Pork Chops , Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin, Pork Carnitas (Pulled Pork) Recipe, Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops, and Juicy Baked Pork Steak.

Frequently Asked Questions

Buttermilk Marinated Pork Chops

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.

Buttermilk Brined Pork Chop Recipe