Grilled Sweet Tea Pork Chops with Spiced Peaches may be the epitome of summer in the South. The sweet tea brine results in flavorful and tender chops. The brine also makes the pork chops easier to grill without drying them out.
Grilled Sweet Tea Pork Chops are easy to make, but they do require a little pre-planning (unlike most of my recipes 🙂 ). You will want to start the by making the brine about 4 1/2 hours before you want to put the meat on the grill. The pork is best when it soaks in the brine for at least 4 hours. It only takes about 15 minutes to put the brine together, so you could also make it of a morning and let the pork soak most of the day. I don’t suggest letting it soak more than 10 hours though…although that is just my personal taste. I prefer a 5-hour brine bath, so this is a weekend recipe for me.
Using some of the same spices in the brine and the spiced peaches seem to enhance the flavor of both, plus it limits the number of spices you need on hand.
Grilled Sweet Tea Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops, about 1 inch thick
- 4 tea bags (black tea of choice)
- 1 cinnamon larger stick, halved or 2 short sticks (slightly broken)
- 6 whole allspice, slightly cracked
- 6 whole juniper berries, slightly cracked (OPTIONAL)
- 2 star anise
- 3 cups boiling water
- 2 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 3/4 to 1 c. sugar (to taste)
- 2 1/2 c. ice
Instructions
- Place tea bags, cinnamon, allspice, juniper berries, and star anise in a heat-proof pitcher or bowl.
- Add boiling water and allow to steep for 3 - 5 minutes until the tea turns the desired color/strength.
- Remove tea bags.
- Stir in sugar and salt until both are completely dissolved.
- Allow hot tea set for 10 to 15 minutes more.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of ice and stir.
- If ice completely melts in just a couple of minutes, add another cup of ice.
- Pour the tea mixture (including any remaining ice pieces) in a gallon zipper plastic storage bag.
- Submerge pork chops in tea mixture, remove most of the air from the bag, and seal closed.
- Place the bag of brined chops in a bowl or dish and set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat grill. If using charcoal, place the hot coals to one side of the grill to create two temperature zones.
- Remove pork chops from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
- Grill chops about 5 to 6 minutes on each side over higher heat (hot coals), keeping the grill covered most of the time.
- Move chops to a lower temperature section of the grill and check the internal temperature of the pork chops.
- Continue to cook on the lower temperature side of the grill (covered) until the desired temperature of each pork chop is reached.
- Remove from grill, rest, and serve warm.
- Serve with warm Spice Peaches on top, if desired.
