First things first, the basics of grilling:
1. Always start with a clean grill. Clean cool grate before and after each use with a wire brush or steel wool for regular grates, a soft cloth for cast iron.
2. Gas burns clean but doesn’t add flavor. Coal adds flavor, but is also harder to control for temperature management. You’re going to have to pick your grill based on a list of pros and cons and figure out for yourself what’s most important in a grill.
3. All the actual work is done in the kitchen before grilling. Grilling is just standing there with some tongs turning food every once in a while and drinking a beer. Anyone can grill if they know how to add flavorings in the kitchen beforehand.
4. When cooking with coal, a chimney starter is a wise investment. I got mine for around $8 at Walmart, and I don’t have to worry about wind blowing out my fuel before the coals actually light or lighter fluid affecting the flavor of my food or anything.
5. Lube your grill with oil before putting food on. I like using my Misto spray cans, but you can also knot up a rag, soak it in oil, and rub it over the grates with your tongs.
6. Always check the temperature on foods like chicken, pork, and ground beef before consuming. If the inside isn’t at the correct temperature, finish items in the oven with a probe thermometer in the largest specimen.
7. Allow food to come up to room temperature before cooking. Actually, this rule applies to cooking in general, not just grilling. Have you ever had a “rare” steak where the outside is seared, but the inside is not only raw, but still actually cold? That’s wrong. The chef is supposed to the let the steak come up to temperature, so the inside can absorb some additional heat during cooking, rather than trying to come up a few degrees from 42 or something. Now imagine that raw on the inside steak is actually a pork chop like we’re making today. Gross, right? Seriously, letting most food sit out on the counter for an hour won’t kill anyone (unless it’s chicken or ground meat, don’t let that stuff sit out).
Now let’s dive into our actual recipe…
Ingredients:
1-1 ½ lb. boneless pork chops
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
2 tbsp. fruit spread of choice
¼ tsp. or 1 clove minced garlic
¼ tsp. dry mustard powder or 1 tsp. condiment mustard
¼ tsp. cumin powder
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
Olive or vegetable oil (to taste)
Directions:
1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bag large enough for chops to move. Mix thoroughly before adding chops.
2. Add chops to bag and toss to coat. Allow to marinate on counter top for about 1 hour. If marinating longer, set chops in the refrigerator, and pull about an hour before cooking.
3. Preheat grill before adding chops. If using a chimney starter, spritz a few pages of newspaper with oil before stuffing at bottom of starter. Load starter with coal to top, then light newspaper with long grill lighter through holes in bottom. Cover with grill lid and wait about 20-30 minutes. Coals are ready when white and glowing. Always handle chimney starter with protective hand covering. Load coal onto one side of grill. If using gas, leave one side of grill burners off, but turn on other side to use indirect heat.
4. Bring marinated chops out to the grill. Ensure grill grate is clean and properly oiled. Place chops over indirect heat and cover with lid. Check chops occasionally and move over direct heat to caramelize glaze.
5. Flip chops and cook similarly on second side. Remember the second side usually doesn’t take as long. If smokier flavor is desired, keep lidded except to check and flip. For a less smoky flavor (heathen), leave unlidded during cooking.
6. Check temperature of chops with a thermometer after cooking. If under 145°, pop in the oven at 350° to finish, preferably with a probe thermometer in the largest chop.
7. Serve with grilled skewered vegetables, grilled corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or any other of a number of sides that pair well with pork (hint: everything pairs well with pork).
That’s it. Of course, pork is basically the easiest thing to cook on the planet, and is pretty forgiving if you overcook it. If you undercook it, just throw it in the oven until it’s done. Sometimes heat control when grilling is difficult, so finishing in the much more predictable oven is perfectly acceptable, and you’ll still have that delicious grill flavor (I use this trick on chicken all the time just because by the time it’s actually done on the grill, it’s dry and inedible and gross).
So those are the basics. I’ll expand on this post in the future with more tips and recipes. Maybe someday I’ll get to show you how to grill seafood. That won’t be any time soon, though, because for some reason, seafood is super-expensive in the state that juts out between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. And that’s the frozen stuff. You can’t even get fresh unless you go down to the local marina when the boats are getting in, and you ambush the dudes tying up their boats and say, “hey, I’ll buy some of that off of you.” Not even commercial guys, just guys who happened to decide they wanted to go out fishing for the day. The state of seafood in Florida is ridiculous.
I hope you guys enjoy your delicious pork chops. Leave your thoughts in a comment below, or get in touch with me directly by filling out the form on the contact page.
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