January 26, 2022
Just a heads up - You'll need to start this 2 days ahead...so the pork can bathe in a yummy brine and soak up the flavorful juices.
2 days ahead: (I generally make the brine mid-afternoon, 2 days before planning it for dinner.)
Brine
1. In a sauce pan, add and bring to a boil:
8 cups of water
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
10 whole peppercorns
10 whole all-spice berries
2 bay leaves
2. Reduce to low boil and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. In a Ziploc bag, add:
4 thick-cut pork chops on the bone
cooled brine from above
3. Place sealed bag inside a rectangular cake pan and place in fridge for two full days. An hour before cooking, remove from fridge and discard the brine. Pleace the pork chops on top of a colling rack, with a paper towel layer in between the pork chops and rack. After 30mn, replace the paper towel and flip the pork chops.
While pork is coming to room temperature on the paper towels:
Bourbon and Blood-Orange Glaze
Ingredients
2 slices thick-cut bacon
2 blood oranges, sectioned (remove peel and pith)
1/2 cup finely diced shallots
2 large (or 3 small) garlic cloves, finely diced
1 cup crushed fresh tomatoes with juice, or homemade tomato sauce
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup good Bourbon
3 cups homemade chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 parsley sprig
Process
Cut up the bacon and cook in a cast iron pan over medium heat. When crispy, remove the bacon to a paper towel and discard all but 1 tbsp of the bacon grease. In the remaining tbsp of bacon grease in the cast iron pan, Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the blood orange sections and cook until everything is lightly carmelized. Add the tomatoes, paste and molasses. Stir for a couple minutes to brown the paste. Take off the heat and slowly add the bourbon. Ignite the bourbon with a long lighter or match. Reduce 75% or until it becomes a glaze. Add the broth and hers and bring to a boil. Skim off the fat as it rises to the surface. Reduce by 50%. The sauce would now be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set the sauce aside while you cook the pork.
Grilled Pork Chops
Rub your grill grates with coconut oil or a neutral high-heat oil, using a paper towel. Brush the pork chops with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat for about 8-10mn total, or until about 135-140F. They will continue heating until 145F while they rest. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and let rest for 10mn. While they rest, re-heat the glaze. (If you're also grilling broccoli, toss them with a bit of olive oil and red chili flakes, and add the veggies about half-way through the meat's cooking time. When they come off the heat, drizzle with a bit of fresh lemon juice.)
To serve, I like to place the pork chops over creamy grits (I skipped this today) and then drizzle the bourbon sauce over the pork chops.
Note: This recipe was insipred by a recipe from Thomas Keller, but I've adapted it a bit over the years. He uses a carrot in the sauce, rather than blood oranges...and instead of brining, he marinades his pork chops in garlic, shallots, spices and olive oil. His recipe is delicious as well, and mine would not have come about without his recipe guidance!)
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