Great Grilling: Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Chops
Tired of burgers and dogs? My friends in Vermont, Zachary and Clark, are grilling up some great meals, but not the usual suspects: steaks, chicken and ribs. A few weeks ago they introduced me to grilled duck breast--and now to grilled pork chops!
Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork ChopsGrilling pork chops can be tricky; they often turn out to be the consistency of shoe leather. So we follow the advice of Chris Schlesinger (co-author of The Thrill of the Grill), who years ago published a great how-to in the New York Times. Recently, Saveur Magazine featured a Roman grilled pork chop recipe, so we adapted it to follow Chris's technique. The result could very well be the best grilled pork chop you've ever had.
There are two secrets to this method. The first is to divide the grilling between "hot" and "hold." This allows you to control the temperature properly, targeting 140 degrees F for a juicy but fully cooked chop (trichinosis is killed at 137 degrees F). Which is a good reminder: probably the single most useful kitchen gadget you can own is the Thermapen Instant-Read Thermometer. It may seem expensive, but we use ours all the time, and it makes a big difference between guess-work with meat and perfect grilling or roasting every single time.
The second--which applies to every cooked meat--is to let the chops rest for a few minutes after the cooking, in order to let the natural juices of the meat even out after the shock of the cooking. Serve this with your favorite summer side dish and enjoy a truly succulent pork chop!
Ingredients:
7 or 8 pork chops
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 sprig fresh rosemary, torn into pieces
Directions:
1. Put pork chops on plate, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, let sit for 30-45 minutes. Build medium-hot charcoal fire, leaving about a third free from coals.
3. Grill pork chops, coating liberally with glaze, until the internal temperature is just 140 degrees F. For 1-inch thick, cook 3 minutes on each side, then remove to part of grill with no coals, cover with disposable foil pan, and cook for additional 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, cover, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes
"Eternal Pleasures", Anya von Bremzen, Saveur, April 2010
--Tracy Schneider
Trish on June 04, 2010 at 05:01 AM
We used our Thermapen last night to test the internal temperature of some bread we were baking. My husband also always carries it to the grill with him. After having several thermometers that didn't hold up we've had this one for several years and it's still going strong. Worth the price! BTW, another delicious looking recipe which is also going on my "to try" list.