Last Saturday I enjoyed grilling for one of my favorite family gatherings, a birthday party, and grilled Moonshine Brine Pork Chops by request to go with cooked vegetables and salad prepared by my wife. Give Moonshine Brine Pork Chops a test drive and you will be in for a treat. The loin cuts are where we get pork chops from the pig and the filet mignon from beef. This cut from high on the back of the pig is also the source for the phrase “living a little higher on hog” in contrast to the cheaper cuts like Boston butt, picnic ham and bacon found a little lower on the animal.
This cut can also be a little tricky to cook due to the low marbling of fat through this muscle to render it tender and juicy. In addition, on the topic of flavor, we don’t have the luxury of infusing flavor over a ten-hour slow roast with these lean cuts as we would on a cut with more fat marbling like a cut from the shoulder. My game plan for grilling bone-in pork chops was to build a few layers of flavor with a three-prong attack. First, brine the meat a few hours in Ole Smoky Moonshine Brine recipe listed below. This recipe borrows heavily from Steven Raichlen's How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques, A Barbecue Bible! Cookbook Next, sear the surface of the chops over high direct heat a few minutes to seal in the juices and create a crusted outer surface. Lastly, finish up with a twenty-minute roast over the indirect heat of a fire of coals with a few wood chunks added for good measure, using one of my favorite woods, Oak.
Ingredients
4 to 6 thick cut bone-in pork chops
1 onion sliced ¼ apple sliced
3 bay leaves ½ teaspoon of peppercorns ¼ teaspoon of allspice berries
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons salt
1 cup hot water
3 cups cold water
3 tablespoons Ole Smoky Charred Moonshine
2 tablespoons vegetable oil Optional Acid: slices of lemon 
Put the wood chunks in water to soak before firing the grill. Set the fire up for both Direct & Indirect Grilling 
After firing up a pile of lump charcoal, let it burn down to a fire of coals and rack half to each side of the grill. This will create an indirect grilling zone in the center of the grill and add the oak wood chunks to the outer rows of coals.
1. Sear the meat over direct high heat for five to seven minutes on each side
2. Move the chops to the center of the grill to fire roast for 20 to 25 minutes at about 325 degrees. 
3. Lastly, after the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165, remove from the grill, and let rest five to ten minutes. 
Your family and friends will love the smoky flavor of Moonshine Pork Chops. I would like to hear your thoughts on whats cooking on your home fires these days. In the spirit of the back to school season, your homework is to leave a comment.
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