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I am in the process of transferring my 8mm home videos to VHS tapes, which puts me right at the forefront of 20th century technology.

I took this sidetrip to the predigital age after I found our old camcorder but none of the power sources save one skinny battery. After searching the Internet and a big-box electronics store, I came back with a universal battery charger and a warning from a store clerk: "When that camera breaks, you won't have any way to watch your videos."

The camera cost $600 in 1993, a very sizable sum. But I rationalized it would be worth it in the long run to have the kids' movements captured and their voices immortalized.

It's one of the few cases where rationalization proved correct.

And so we have five years of birthdays, holidays, vacations and everyday events caught on film. But we put the camera down in 1998 and didn't pick it up again. Until now.

Of course, the images of the kids are priceless. But I'm also struck by scenes familiar and foreign: I remember that toy, but where did that ugly shirt come from? Whatever happened to that old chair? How could my memory become so haphazard after only 15 years?

Watching old videos warms your heart and tweaks your ego. Sometimes we'd snap at the kids; sometimes at each other. I always looked tired; with two preschoolers, I always was tired. I wonder why I let the camera focus for so long on a particular animal at the zoo; if I could go back, I'd turn the camera instead on my mother-in-law and ask her, "Did you go to the zoo as a little girl? What was it like?"

We'd all act differently if we could see our present actions from a future perspective.

The videos feature friends who have moved away or drifted apart. And when the camera settled on one particular family, I thought of pork chops.

We had entrusted our firstborn to the hands of these experienced parents so we could run some errands. We returned to find them just sitting down to dinner, and there sat our 1-year-old in a high chair, gnawing on a grilled pork chop.

We would never have considered handing our baby a chunk of meat and bone, but she was obviously enjoying it. When they offered me a pork chop, I could see why.

It was tender, flavorful and deliciously seasoned. Up to that point, I thought grilling produced pork that was dry and bland.

I'm not sure what her method was, but I've since discovered the secret to great grilled pork: brine.

Brining the meat in a solution of water, salt and sugar infuses it with seasoned moisture that sustains it throughout the grilling. This recipe, adapted from Cook's Illustrated, calls for pork tenderloin, but can easily be applied to pork chops as well.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 1/2 tablespoons table salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total) trimmed of silver skin

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Dissolve sugar and salt in 1 quart of cold water in a medium bowl. Add the tenderloins, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 1 hour. Remove the tenderloins from the brine, rinse well, and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Set aside.

Heat charcoal to medium hot. Coat the tenderloins with olive oil and rub all over with salt and pepper. Cook tenderloins, uncovered, over the hotter part of the grill until browned on all four sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Move to a cooler part of the grill and continue grilling, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 145 degrees, or until the meat is slightly pink at the center when cut with a paring knife, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest about 5 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise as it rests. Slice crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces and serve.

The pork also may be prepared on a gas grill (preheated on high for 15 minutes). Grill over direct heat until browned on all four sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Contact this writer at carol.rini@gmail.com

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