Cup of Yum
1. For the brine: Place the salt and hot tap water in a large zip bag. Shake the bag around to dissolve the salt. Then add the apple cider and pork chops. Zip the bag closed and place in a bowl in case of leakage. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and brine for at least two hours, but overnight is better.
2. When you are ready to sous vide the pork chops, place a large pot (or deep container) on the countertop. Clamp the sous vide to the inside of the pot. Fill with water to the minimum line marked on the sous vide. Set the sous vide to preheat to 140°F for perfect medium-rare pink chops. (Set at 145°F for medium.)
3. While the water is heating, remove the pork chops from the brine and pat them dry. Use one of our recommended rubs to season the pork chops. Mix the rub in a small bowl then sprinkle over both sides of each pork chop. If you brined the pork chops, you will not need to add salt. If you chose not to brine the pork chops at 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt to the spice rub.
4. Place the pork chops in large vacuum seal bags or classic zip bags. You can place as many pork chops as will fit in the bag in a single layer. Do not overlap them. Usually I use two bags for 4 large bone-in pork chops.
5. If using vacuum seal bags, use the suction device to suck all the air out of the bags. If using Ziploc bags you will need to seal them as you lower them into the water.
6. Once the water has reached 140°F lower this zip bags into the water. If using vacuum seal bags, keep the vacuum valve corner of the bag above the waterline. Use a clamp to secure the bag to the side of the container. Make sure the pork chops are completely submerged but the corner with the flap is above the water. If using classic zip bags, slowly lower them into the water so that all the air is pushed up and out of the bag. Once the air is completely up to the zipper, carefully zipped them closed so water does not get in the bag. You can then clamp them to the side, but they do not have to be secured like vacuum bags.

Sous vide pork chop cooking times:

Cup of Yum
1. For pork chops that are closer to 1 inch thick, cook for one hour if boneless, or 1 hour 15 minutes if bone-in. For pork chops that are closer to 1 ½ inches, cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes for boneless, 1 hour and 30 minutes for bone in.
2. To form a crust: Place a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Remove the pork chops from the zip bags. Once the skillet is hot, steer the pork chops for 1 to 2 minutes per side to create a caramelized crust. Serve warm.