HONEY GRILLED PORK CHOPS - CôTES DE PORC AU MIEL
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Simple and elegant, this is a dish you can grill for a quick family weeknight dinner as easily as you can for a more dressed up Saturday night meal with friends. Pork is often served with something sweet, like apples or pears; here, I put the sweetness right on the pork. It lifts its flavor with deep caramelization. I suggest serving it with grilled asparagus or zucchini (pages xx), a mound of toasty bulgur (page xx), and a light red such as a Saumur Champigny.
ASTUCE: before you put the pork chops in the marinade, slit the fat around the edges so the chop won’t curl as it grills
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: whisk, bowl, rubber spatula, long tongs, long metal spatula
PREPARATION AND GRILLING TIME: at least 1 hour marinating time; 30 minutes including resting time
DIFFIUCLTY LEVEL: simple
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- For the marinade:
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons mild honey such as wildflower
- 3 large cloves garlic green germ removed if necessary, minced
- 3 teaspoons piment d’Espelette or 1-½ teaspoons each hot and mild paprika
- Generous pinch salt
- Several grinds black pepper
- 6 thick (about 1-1/2 inches; 4 cm, 8 ounce;250g pork chops at room temperatue
Instructions
-
Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour it into a non-reactive dish.
-
Place the pork chops in the marinade, turn them and using a rubber spatula, rub the marinade evenly into the pork chops. Turn them again and repeat so they are completely covered in marinade. Cover the chops and marinate them at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to several hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, covered. Remove the meat from the refrigerator at least two hours before grilling them.
-
Build a medium-sized fire in the grill. When the coals are red and dusted with ash, place half of the coals on either side of the grill. Place the grill over the coals, and when it is hot, place the chops in the center of the grill. Cover and cook until the chops are grilled to a deep golden on one side, for about 10 minutes. Turn the chops and cook them on the other side until they are deep golden and are cooked through which, depending on the thickness of the chops, will take an additional 5 to 8 minutes.
-
Transfer the chops from the grill to a serving platter, strew some salt and grind pepper over them, and let them sit for about 10 minutes before serving so they have a chance to re-absorb some of their juices, and relax.
