Maple glazed pork chops sous vide

3 lb. boneless center cut pork roast fresh thyme garlic

Brine: 1.7 oz. (by weight) Kosher salt (non-iodized) 0.9 oz. (by weight) granulated sugar 8 oz. hot water 24 oz. cold water with ice

Prepare the brine by dissolving the sugar and salt in the hot water, then add ice and cold water to make 32 fl. oz.. Make sure the brine is below 40°F, refrigerating if necessary.

I started with a 3 pound boneless center-cut pork roast. It's necessary to do quite a bit of trimming to remove the top layer of fat, meat, and silver skin. I got five beautiful 1" thick boneless pork chops and a small piles of meaty trimmings and fat.

Brine the pork chops for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

I sautéed the pork trimmings which I cut into small pieces, vacuum seal, freeze, and save for stir-fry. There were 6 oz. of meaty trimmings.

Add a sprig of thyme, a clove of garlic, a little olive oil, and two pork chops to each vacuum bag. Vacuum seal the pork chops.

Cook at 141°F for 4 hours. Because of the long cooking time, it's necessary to use a temperature above 140°F to avoid leaving the food in the danger zone (40°F  to 140°F) for too long, which can cause bacteria to multiply.

Remove the pork chops from the sous vide machine and let rest for 5 minutes.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and sauté the pork chops until nicely browned, a few minutes on each side. Remove the pork chops from the pan, but keep the oil and any browned bits in the pan for making the sauce, below.

Maple Glaze

8.0 oz. chicken stock 0.7 oz. red wine vinegar (2 tbsp.) 2.0 oz. maple syrup 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard salt and pepper

For the chicken stock I used 0.2 oz. (by weight) More than Gourmet fond de Poulet gold dissolved in 8 oz. of hot water, though any 8 oz. of chicken stock should be fine. Add the maple syrup, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard. The sauce base can be prepared ahead to make the final preparation easier.

Deglaze the sauté pan with liquid mixture and reduce to a thick glaze.

Season with salt and pepper.

Return the pork chops to the pan briefly to coat. Serve with additional sauce.