By Eating Local: Reprinted with permission of Andrews McMeel Publishing, recipes by Janet Fletcher, photography by Sara Remington
Images
Serves
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- Brine
- 1½ quarts water
- 6 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
- Handful of thyme sprigs
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a chef's knife
- 4 bone-in pork loin chops, about ¾ inch thick
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 large freestone peaches (such as O'Henry or Elberta), halved and pitted
Procedure
Grilling gives peaches and other stone fruits a flavor boost, bringing their natural sugar to the fore. Use freestone peaches so that you can easily twist the halves off the pit. Baste them with butter, honey, and bourbon as they grill to give them a sheen, then serve with a juicy pork chop, brined for a full day to season it all the way through.
To make the brine, in a medium saucepan, combine allthe ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring todissolve the salt. Set aside until completely cool.
Put the pork chops in a container that holds themsnugly in a single layer. Add the brine, which shouldcover them. Cover with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you canput the port and its brine in a 1-gallon heavy-duty resealablefood storage bag. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
About 1 hour before cooking, remove the pork chopsfrom the brine and set them on a wire cooling rack atroom temperature to dry.
Prepare a moderate charcoal fire for indirect grillingor preheat a gas grill to medium (375°F),leaving one burner unlit.
Combine the butter, bourbon, and honey in a smallsaucepan. Set over moderately low heat, stirring untilthe butter melts and the honey dissolves. Keep warm.
Pat the pork chops with paper towels to remove anyremaining surface moisture. Set the chops directly overthe coals or gas flame and brown on both sides, turningonce, for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to indirectheat, cover the grill, and cook until the chops offer someresistance to the touch but are still springy, not firm, about4 minutes longer. If you are unsure of doneness, measurethe internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer,inserting it horizontally into a chop; it should register about150°F for medium.
Once you have moved the pork chops to indirect heat,you can grill the peaches. Brush them all over with thebutter-honey mixture and place, cut side down, directly overthe coals or gas flame. Cook until they are nicely charred,then turn, baste again, and cook just until they are tenderand juicy. The pork chops and peaches should be done atroughly the same time, but if not, move whichever is donefirst to a cooler area of the grill to wait. Serve each pork chopwith a grilled peach half alongside.
By Eating Local: Reprinted with permission of Andrews McMeel Publishing, recipes by Janet Fletcher, photography by Sara Remington
Serves
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- Brine
- 1½ quarts water
- 6 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
- Handful of thyme sprigs
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a chef's knife
- 4 bone-in pork loin chops, about ¾ inch thick
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 large freestone peaches (such as O'Henry or Elberta), halved and pitted
Procedure
Grilling gives peaches and other stone fruits a flavor boost, bringing their natural sugar to the fore. Use freestone peaches so that you can easily twist the halves off the pit. Baste them with butter, honey, and bourbon as they grill to give them a sheen, then serve with a juicy pork chop, brined for a full day to season it all the way through.
To make the brine, in a medium saucepan, combine allthe ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring todissolve the salt. Set aside until completely cool.
Put the pork chops in a container that holds themsnugly in a single layer. Add the brine, which shouldcover them. Cover with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you canput the port and its brine in a 1-gallon heavy-duty resealablefood storage bag. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
About 1 hour before cooking, remove the pork chopsfrom the brine and set them on a wire cooling rack atroom temperature to dry.
Prepare a moderate charcoal fire for indirect grillingor preheat a gas grill to medium (375°F),leaving one burner unlit.
Combine the butter, bourbon, and honey in a smallsaucepan. Set over moderately low heat, stirring untilthe butter melts and the honey dissolves. Keep warm.
Pat the pork chops with paper towels to remove anyremaining surface moisture. Set the chops directly overthe coals or gas flame and brown on both sides, turningonce, for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to indirectheat, cover the grill, and cook until the chops offer someresistance to the touch but are still springy, not firm, about4 minutes longer. If you are unsure of doneness, measurethe internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer,inserting it horizontally into a chop; it should register about150°F for medium.
Once you have moved the pork chops to indirect heat,you can grill the peaches. Brush them all over with thebutter-honey mixture and place, cut side down, directly overthe coals or gas flame. Cook until they are nicely charred,then turn, baste again, and cook just until they are tenderand juicy. The pork chops and peaches should be done atroughly the same time, but if not, move whichever is donefirst to a cooler area of the grill to wait. Serve each pork chopwith a grilled peach half alongside.
