Pork Chops

Method

1. brine20 min
   salt on all surfaces, uncovered on a rack, refrigerated 20 minutes to overnight
   chops + salt. Salt diffuses in and alters the muscle proteins so they retain water under heat rather than wringing it out; uncovered, the surface also dries, which is a precondition for a crust. Twenty minutes helps and overnight is better
2. rest15 min
   on the counter, patted bone dry
   the chops to come toward room temperature, then dried thoroughly with paper. A fridge-cold chop needs so much longer in the pan that the outer centimetre overcooks before the middle arrives. Dry the surface properly — the crust cannot start until the water has gone
3. sear6 min
   heavy pan, oil just smoking, chops in and NOT moved for 3 minutes a side
   oil + chops, pressed down once and left undisturbed until deeply browned, then turned. Browning is the Maillard reaction between amino acids and sugars, and it needs a dry surface above roughly 150°C. It does not seal in juices — that claim is false, and a seared chop loses slightly more moisture, not less. What it buys is flavour, and that is reason enough. Stand them on the fat edge for a minute too
4. glaze5 min
   heat to medium-low, butter, garlic and thyme, pan tilted, spooning constantly
   + butter + smashed garlic + thyme (+ sage), the foaming butter spooned over the chops repeatedly until the centre reads 63°C. Basting cooks the top from above with hot fat rather than waiting for conduction from below, so the chop finishes faster and more evenly — and the butter carries the garlic and thyme aromatics onto the meat, which a dry pan cannot
5. rest8 min
   on a warm plate, loosely tented, 5-8 minutes
   off the heat. Carryover will take it to about 66°C, so pull at 63°C and not above. While it rests, deglaze the pan (+ vinegar, + stock, + mustard, + apple slices) scraping up the browned residue — that residue is the seared flavour you just built, and leaving it in the pan is throwing away the best part of the dish