2 recently Tried and now True RECs--1) Favorite Grilled Pork Chops & 2) Potatoes Plus

W

wigs

Well-known member
FAVORITE GRILLED PORK CHOPS from COUNTRY WOMAN magazine, June/July 2018. Makes 4 servings.

Erica Svejda of Janesville, WI, writes that she starts preparing this entrée the night before she plans to grill it.

Marinade:

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 boneless pork loin chops (8 oz. each and 1 inch thick)

1) In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Add pork chops; turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, 8 hours or overnight.

2) Drain and discard marinade. Grill pork chops, covered, over medium heat until a thermometer reads 145 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes on each side. (I used bone-in pork chops because that's what I had on hand, and it didn't take that long to grill them.) Let the meat stand 5 minutes before serving.

NOTES from wigs: I only made a half batch of marinade and had ample. Chops were moist and delicious!

Potatoes Plus from COUNTRY WOMAN, Jun/Jul 2018.Submitted by Jill Jellett in Leduc, AB. Makes 4 servings.

Wrapped in foil packets, these herb-seasoned potatoes and vegetables cook in just 30 minutes on the grill. They're excellent alongside steak, chops or chicken.

4 medium red potatoes, cubed (I used small new red potatoes that I sliced with an 8 mm food processor slicing disk.)

1 medium onion, cubed (I chopped in Cuisinart.)

1 medium sweet red bell pepper, cubed

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon EACH dried basil, dill weed and parsley flakes

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1) Combine vegetables (I also threw in some baby carrots) and seasonings; divide among four pieces of heavy-duty foil about 12 inches square. (I sprayed the foil w/ PAM.)

Dot with butter. Fold foil around vegetables and seal tightly.

2) Grill, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes on each side. (I grilled for 1 hour total, turning every 15 minutes because I put all the ingredients into one very big foil packet.) Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

This next third recipe is also from the same COUNTRY WOMAN magazine and looks delicious, but I haven't tried it yet. wigs
PEACH AND BERRY COBBLER

Baked in a cast-iron skillet, this cobbler is pure bubbly-warm goodness. All it needs is a scoop or two of ice cream! Makes 8 servings

Submitted by Lauren Knoelke, Milwaukee, WI

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

10 medium peaches, peeled, pitted & sliced (about 6 cups)

2 cups mixed blackberries, raspberries and blueberries

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

TOPPING

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tablespoons cold butter

3/4 cup buttermilk

Vanilla ice cream, optional

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and cardamom. Add peaches, berries and lemon juice; toss to combine. Transfer to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.

2) In a small bowl, whisk the first six topping ingredients; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk; stir just until moistened. Drop mixture by tablespoonfuls over peach mixture.

3) Bake, uncovered, until topping is golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Serve warm. If desired, top with vanilla ice cream.

 
I have given up trying to grill pork chops because they are dried out

tough and not nice. Does this solve that problem with the marinade?

 
Agreed! I always brine my pork chops for four hours 1/2 cup salt to 1 qt water.

I think Wigs' marinade would act the same as a brine.

 
Richard, I believe the overnight marinating in this REC or brining helps a lot to avoid dryness &

tough grilled pork chops. The way they feed swine today means there is lots less fat in the meat so I also am careful to only cook pork to an internal temp of 140 to 145 degrees F and then I let these chops sit for 10 minutes off the grill (tented with foil) so they could finish cooking via residual heat. We only heated one side of our gas grill to about 375 degrees and cooked the pork chops with the lid cracked open a couple inches.

I bought 1-inch thick, bone-in pork chops at the Kroger store so I used nothing fancy or expensive from a butcher shop, & these were the most tender chops I've ever made--either indoors OR out on the grill. AAMOF, I saved what was left of my half recipe of marinade, boiled it, then cooled and refrigerated it so I could grill 2 more chops exactly the same way for our dinner the next night. They were that good!

 
Best way to prevent tough and dry is to cook to medium rare (your 145*) and

brining does help pork also. but it is now a VERY lean meat and can't be overcooked, IMO. ;o)

 
Honestly,the pork chops in above REC were some of the tenderest & tastiest we've ever eaten whether

the past ones were cooked inside or outside! I'm sure the marinade helped plus cooking them over medium heat to an internal temp of 145 degrees F when they were removed from the grill and allowed to sit a few minutes before being devoured.

 
Of all the things I brine, I have never attempted it with a pork chop...

Is that the answer?

Tired of the leather disks on a bone from my usual grilled pork chop grilling adventures.

 
I am overcooking since I want a nice seared crust....

My grill just doesn't put out enough heat to sear them before they reach 145F.

 
I don't know about pork, but Lar got a great steak sear by putting the cast iron skillet in the

oven at max temp to heat it up, then bring it to top burner at high heat, add a drizzle of peanut oil and sear both sides. It happens almost instantaneously. Steak was air-dried in refrigerator for a day, so no extra moisture.

He would then finish it off in the oven.

I know pork is much more temperamental, but would the concept work?

 
The other answer is the way pigs have been bred to be extra lean...

I get my pork from a butcher that carries Berkshire Heritage Pork with marbling.

 
How about grilling them to 145 then under the oven broiler to crust them.

I cook my prime rib slow then broil for a nice crust at Christmas. It turns out red/pink all the way through and a nice crispy savory crust.

 
Definitely try brining them! Although this isn't a brine per se. I've had good luck

with marinating the thick loin chops as found at Costco in olive oil, salt, and garlic for the day, then grilling. They seem to stay nice and tender.

 
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