Bob Hart's Brined Pork Chops

Australian pork is as good as any in the world � simple as that. And pork is one of the great meats to cook on a barbecue.

Chops, however � although they are a great cut � can be tricky because handled wrongly, they can become tough and dry. So to avoid this, cook them carefully and try brining them. This a popular American approach, used widely for turkeys which also have a dryness issue. And it works just as well for pork.

Ask your butcher if he sells free range pork. If not, try another butcher. Forget most supermarkets for pork. Have 4 thick (3cm) chops cut and remove skin (cook it separately if you like). Put chops in a baking dish, top with a thinly sliced onion, a couple of bay leaves, half a dozen cracked allspice berries, a broken cinnamon stick, a few cloves and plenty of roughly cracked, black pepper corns.

Make a brine: mix 3tb brown sugar with 3tbs sea salt, add a cup of hot water and whisk to dissolve. Add 2 cups cold water, 4tbs bourbon and 2tbs vegetable oil. Pour this over the chops and refrigerate for about 4 hrs, turning a couple of times.

To cook, dry chops with kitchen towel and brush off spices. Brush with vegetable oil and cook. Start gently (indirect method) and use plenty of hickory smoke. Finish over the hot part of the grill to achieve good grill marks. Serve with coleslaw, or similar. Granny smith apples, halved, cored and grilled, are great _ especially with a dollop of red current jelly used to fill (after cooking) the indentation left from removing the core.