BBQ pork Chops side Dishes

Thin pork chops are an idea I learned from from John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger in Gourmet magazine. They suggest you think thin, crispy and flavorful, instead of the usual thick and juicy. For a quick weeknight meal on the grill, thin is good – it cooks quickly, and gets dinner on the table that much faster.

Even though we’re going for thin and crispy, be careful to not overcook lean pork loin, or it will dry out. The brinerade gives us a little cushion, but the real trick is to only cook the chops on one side. The pork chops are thin enough to cook through, and they’ll be nicely browned on the one side that’s always facing the grill.

Inspired by: “Doc” Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger: Grill It!

Equipment

Grilled Thin Pork Chops, Quick Brinerated. My recipe for thin-cut pork chops, grilled quickly on only one side.

20 minPrep Time

4 minCook Time

24 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 3 pounds thin cut pork chops (1/4" to 1/2" thick, preferably rib chops)
• Brinerade
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. 1. Brinerate the pork chops: Whisk the brinerade ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
2. Put the pork chops in a large bowl or a baking dish, reserve 2 tablespoons of the brinerade for later, and pour the rest of the brinerade over the chops. Flip the pork chops a few times to evenly cover with the marinade, then let them rest while the grill preheats. (Or, put the chops in the refrigerator and brinerate for up to 4 hours, turning occasionally to coat with the brinerade.)
3. 2. Set the grill for direct medium heat: Preheat the grill, then set it for grilling on direct medium heat. For my Weber Summit, I preheat with all burners on high for 10 minutes, brush the grill gratees clean, then turn the burners down to medium.
4. 3. Cook the chops: Flip the chops one more time in the baking dish to coat with the brinerade, then put them on the grill over direct medium heat. (Keep the lid closed as much as possible while cooking.) Grill the chops until they have good grill marks on the bottom, about 2 minutes, then rotate them 90 degreees (don't flip the chops - just rotate them) and grill until they have a good crosshatch of grill marks on the bottom, about 2 more minutes. At this point, the chops should be cooked through - they'll have gone from pink to white on the side that's been facing up the whole time. Remove them from the grill. (If you have thicker chops, and the top is not cooked through, flip them over and cook them for another minute.)
5. 4. Glaze and serve: Remove the chops to a platter and pour the reserved brinerade over the chops. Let rest for five minutes, then serve.

Cuisine: American | Recipe Type: Grilling

6.6.15

Mike Vrobel

Variations:

• Asian style: the soy sauce is already giving them a little bit of an asian flavor; you can play this up by replacing the balsamic vinegar with seasoned asian rice vinegar, and the olive oil with peanut or sesame oil.
• Don’t forget to gnaw on the bones…it’s my favorite part!