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Brining these pork chops keeps them plump and juicy, but if lemon verbena for the brine isn’t readily available, you can leave it out. Its subtle flavor probably won’t be missed, especially if you serve the chops with the distinctly lemony hoppin’ John risotto.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 11 1/2 hr (includes brining)

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 4qt water
• 1cup loosely packed fresh lemon verbena leaves (1/2 oz) or 1/2 cup dried (optional; sometimes called vervain)
• 1/4cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/4cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 8(1 1/2-inch-thick) pork rib chops (6 lb total), frenched (see cooks’ note, below) special equipment:an instant-read thermometer
• accompaniment:hoppin’ john risotto

DIRECTIONS Bring all ingredients except pork to a boil in an 8- to 10-quart pot, then cool brine to room temperature. Add chops and chill in brine, covered, at least 8 hours. Remove chops from brine and rinse, then bring to room temperature (about 1 hour).

Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high.

Pat chops dry. Grill chops on lightly oiled grill rack, turning over occasionally, until thermometer inserted horizontally into center of chops registers 150°F, 15 to 18 minutes total for charcoal or gas grill.

Transfer chops to a platter and let stand, covered loosely with foil, 10 minutes.

Cooks’ notes:
• To french chops, scrape rib bones lengthwise (away from meat) with a sharp paring knife to remove any meat and membrane. Or ask the butcher to do this.
• Chops can be brined in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
• If you aren’t able to grill, chops can be cooked in batches in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderate heat. Cooking time will be 22 to 24 minutes total per batch.

Gaeng Pah Muu

Most curries from southern Thailand use coconut milk. This one, from the mountainous north, doesn’t, because the climate is too temperate for coconut palms to survive.
Don’t be intimidated by the start-to-finish time; the curry paste and chicken stock can be made days ahead. Once you have those components at hand, the recipe only takes about 1 hour to put together. If you prefer your food less spicy, use the smaller amounts of curry paste and vegetable oil.

Active time: 3 1/4 hr Start to finish: 7 1/4 hr (includes making curry paste and stock)

Makes 8 servings (as part of larger meal).

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb thai apple eggplants (see cooks’ note, below)
• 2tablespoons to 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4to 1/2 cup thai red curry paste
• 1 1/2lb pork tenderloin, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 1/3cup julienne strips peeled fresh or frozen grachai (lesser galangal or wild ginger; thawed if frozen) or drained bottled grachai, rinsed, or ginger
• 3oz chinese long beans or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8canned baby corn, rinsed, drained, and halved lengthwise
• 1 1/2cups thai chicken stock
• 3tablespoons nam pla (asian fish sauce; preferably thai)
• 5(4-inch-long) fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves (sometimes called bai makroot)
• 1fresh chee fah chile or 2 red jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise and seeds discarded
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 1cup loosely packed bai grapao (holy basil leaves) special equipment:a large (6-qt) wok
• accompaniment:thai pickled garlic (gratiam dong)

DIRECTIONS Trim eggplants and cut into 1-inch wedges (do this just before heating oil to avoid discoloration).

Heat oil (see above) in wok over moderate heat until warm, about 30 seconds. Add curry paste (to taste) and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and a shade darker, 2 to 3 minutes. Add pork and stir-fry over high heat until no longer pink on outside, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggplant, grachai, beans, baby corn, and stock and simmer, stirring, until eggplant is crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add fish sauce, lime leaves, chile, and salt and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in half of basil.

Serve topped with remaining basil.

Cooks’ note:
Long slender Asian eggplant can be substituted for Thai apple eggplant. Thai apple eggplant is traditionally eaten raw or crisp-tender, but Asian eggplant needs to be precooked. Cut Asian eggplant into 1-inch cubes and toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, then bake in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan in a preheated 400°F oven until crisp-tender, about 12 minutes. Proceed with recipe.

Brining the chops makes them moist.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2cups water
• 2cups dark lager beer
• 1/4cup coarse salt
• 3tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 3tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
• 1cup ice cubes
• 61- to 1 1/4-inch-thick center-cut bone-in pork chops7large garlic cloves, minced
• 3teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 2teaspoons salt
• 2teaspoons dried sage leaves

DIRECTIONS Combine 2 cups water, beer, 1/4 cup coarse salt, sugar, and molasses in large bowl. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Stir in ice. Place pork chops in large resealable plastic bag. Pour beer brine over pork chops; seal bag. Refrigerate 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Remove pork chops from beer brine; pat dry. Mix garlic, pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, and sage in small bowl. Rub garlic mixture over both sides of pork chops. Grill pork chops until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 145°F to 150°F, about 10 minutes per side, occasionally moving chops to cooler part of rack if burning. Transfer chops to platter; cover with foil, and let stand 5 minutes. Serve.

Char Siew

This succulent meat is traditionally cooked hanging on hooks inside a smoking
barbecue oven. This easier and faster method cooks the pork on a charcoal
grill. Char siew can be sliced and used as a garnish over rice or noodles, or
stir-fried with vegetables.

Makes 8 skewers.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 star anise
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup chinese rice wine (shaoxing) or dry vermouth
• one 6-ounce can pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin, sliced lengthwise into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 8 metal skewers
• vegetable oil spray

DIRECTIONS 1. In a large zippered plastic bag, combine the sugar, star anise, cinnamon,
pepper, salt, wine, pineapple juice, soy sauces, and sesame oil. Seal the bag
and shake to mix. Add the pork, seal and toss the bag back and forth to coat
the pork slices. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, for best results,
overnight.

2. Soak a handful of mesquite chips or cinnamon sticks in a bowl of water.
Heat the grill.

3. While waiting for the grill to get hot, remove the pork from the
refrigerator. Thread 4 to 5 pieces of pork onto each skewer. Repeat with the
remaining pork. Transfer the remaining marinade to a bowl and set aside.

4. Rake the hot coals into a mound on one side of the grill. Spray the pork
generously with vegetable oil and lay the skewers on the rack directly over
the hot coals. Sear the meat for a minute or two. Baste with the marinade and
turn the skewers over. Repeat once or twice, or until the outside is slightly
charred. Baste with the marinade and move the skewers to the empty side of
the grill.

5. Sprinkle the soaked mesquite or cinnamon sticks over the charcoal. Cover
the grill and grill-smoke. Be sure to open the air vents in the top of the
grill cover. Uncover the grill and baste the meat every 3 minutes, until
the pork is cooked through, 11 to 12 minutes in all.

6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing the pork from the skewers. Slice into
thin bite-sized pieces and serve.

Maude Emhoff, Stafford Springs, Conn.
Watch the heat carefully, lowering it as necessary. Do not let the casserole boil, or the pork ribs will toughen.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large red cabbage, cored and shredded
• 2 pounds country pork ribs
• about 8 whole cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large ripe tomato, diced
• 1 tart apple, cored and diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon red-wine or cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• boiled potatoes (for serving), optional

DIRECTIONS
1. Blanch the cabbage in boiling water. Set aside.

2. Insert 2 whole cloves into each of the ribs. Place the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat; brown the ribs, about 6 minutes per side. Remove ribs to a plate. Reduce heat to low; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Return ribs to the pot.

3. Add reserved cabbage, tomato, apple, celery, bay leaves, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours more, making sure the meat does not stick to the bottom of the pot and the cabbage covers the meat. Serve immediately with potatoes, if desired.