Grilled Pork Loin Chops with Pepper Sauce

Today’s (not-so-meatless-Monday) post is about pork.

And, pollen.

Since 2008, I’ve come to love Louisiana in so many ways.  Between our state’s year-round growing season, fresh produce, and regularly warm weather, it’s hard not to appreciate everyday amenities like these.  

[ In fact, I’m far too aware that while other food bloggers defrost their car windows each morning, I’m wearing running shorts surprisingly early in the year. Lucky me…. ]

But what I didn’t include in this glowing definition of Louisiana was pollen.

Pollen – that yellow, filmy stuff that gets on your car and makes you sneeze.

Louisiana has her fair share of ligustrum trees with their influential weather channel “high pollen alerts,” and I’m sorry to say that I’ve been quite under the weather.  Although I’d like to have ushered in finals and the first weeks of May with one late night on the porch after another, I spent most of my evenings in doors with a bad case of seasonal allergies, cursing those beautiful ligustrum trees taunting me on the patio.

Pictured: delicate white flowers bloom each spring in Louisiana as seasonal ligustrum trees cover the LSU campus and Baton Rouge.  Read more about this plant at the LSU Ag Center’s website (here).

And our state’s white, tiny flowers could only assault my sinuses for so long before my warm, but shady backyard beckoned me to return to my not-so-fancy (or super expensive) grill.

I’m fully aware of the irony of allergies and grilling outdoors, but as I get ready to head to Maine for the summer (that’s right – I’m leaving Louisiana for the first “extended” period of time since 2008!), I want to spend every minute I can sharing food and drinks with friends:

Pictured: my best friend Lydia after setting down a plate full of food. I’m thrilled to admit this photo wasn’t actually “staged,” but a practical way to carry your drink outside when you have full hands.  There’s something *very* Louisiana about this image….

I shared my first summer grilling experiences here last week with a recipe for BBQ Chicken Pizza.  This week, I’m using some of the leftover Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sauce over marinated pork loin chops from my local Albertson’s (have you seen those crazy, “Buy 1 get 3 Free” deals? Yeah, they’re sort of worth it).  

Pictured: some summer Pork Loin Chops on the grill, marinated in Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sauce (spicy-sweet) and a few splashes of  Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce.  Did I mention these (plus 3 more pounds) were about $10 at Albertson’s?

Grilling pork chops are just one of the many ways to bring out natural flavors hidden within the fat and meat, but the real trick is to avoid overly marinating or brushing the loin when it’s on the grill.  Here, I use a mildly spicy-sweet BBQ sauce from Stubb’s that’s brushed on before and after flips (usually about two brushes during the entire process).  Then, I splash a few drops of  Pepper Sauce on both sides right as the chops come off the grill.  You’ll be rewarded with a subtle, but spicy heat that pairs nicely with a cold beer.

Pictured: Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce, a lovely (but serious) condiment that I use as a final ingredient right as the chops come off the grill.  Sprinkle the sauce on meat, potatoes, or barbecue for sophisticated and quick heat.  In some cases (marinades and grilling), I’ve been able to use it as “liquid” pepper.

In January, the Gumbo Goddess and I received these small samples of Pepper Sauce from Puckett’s Boat House in Tennessee at Food Blog South.

Typically, I don’t review many (if any) of the freebies I receive at conferences or speaking events, but this sauce really stood out.  I like the idea of using an almost “liquid” pepper when grilling, although many would treat this sauce as a distant cousin to BBQ sauce (if not a version of BBQ sauce itself).  

For my taste, the Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce is too spicy for marinade use only, but works great as an add on to other marinades, homemade or otherwise.

But, before you grill and dress those pork loin chops, here are some key tips: 

1 – Use a Charcoal Grill.  The flavor is unrivaled and the cooking is fun.

2 – Cut Pork Chops at Home.  Although this is a new concept to me (introduced to me by my friend Heather’s father), one of the best ways to save money, is to buy a tenderloin and butcher it at home.  See this tutorial for cutting tips, steak sizes, and other FAQs. 

ALSO – checkout minute 16 of Alton Brown’s “Tender is the Pork” episode (here) for more tenderloin cutting tips and tricks.

3 – Use Quality Ingredients.  You may have a great discount price for your summer grill meat, or, you may not have access to a great butcher.  With a quality marinade (and pepper sauce, if you have it), low-quality meats can be brought to life.  I discuss other techniques (as with tenderizing) in my article on “How to Tenderize a Steak” here.

Since I only have two weeks before I leave Louisiana for a much-needed summer vacation in Maine, I’ll continue to get as much grilling in as possible, and I’ve got big plans for this little jar of peppery sauce.  If I have any left, I may try to share it with my family in New England, but I don’t believe their palates are quite used to southern spicy heat like mine….

Grilled Pork Loin Chops with Pepper Sauce

Yields: 3 servings (or, 3 (1/3-pound) pork loin chops)

Calories: 363.2 calories per servings (full nutritional facts here)

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

New to grilling? Checkout “How to Grill Perfect Pork Chops” at Serious Eats (here).  Although I love the detailed “Perfect Chops” and “Double Dose of Grilling” sections, I think the “Brine Time” can easily be skipped (sometimes, the pork just gets way too salty).  Also, note that the author, Joshua Bousel, grills Pork Chops with the bone in.  Here, I use Pork Loin Chops, a far more tender cut of meat.

So, skip the brine if you can help it.  In the past, I’ve followed Bon Appétit’s rule to brine before you pan fry or grill your pork chops (and I did so when reading up on this article earlier this spring).  But, 4 out of 5 times, the pork ends up too salty no matter how much I cut back on the salt or follow the directions closely.

Ingredients:

* 3 (1/3-pound) pork loin chops (1 1/2-inch thick, ideally)

* Salt and pepper, to taste

* Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sweet and Spicy Sauce (or like sauce), to taste

* Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce (or like sauce), to taste

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

* Charcoal Grill

1.) Rub pork loin chops with salt and pepper beforehand and rest (covered) in the fridge (preferably overnight).

2.) Brush pork loin chops in Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sweet and Spicy Sauce (or like BBQ sauce) on both sides.  One good slathering on each will do.

3.) For the grill: prepare coals for charcoal grill and warm to medium heat.  Depending on the size of my crowd, I use a “direct fire” or “two-zone” fire for grilling.  With direct fire, the coals are evenly lit and heat is equally disbursed.  With “two-zone,” one side of the grill is covered in burning coals and a few burning coals are sprinkled on the other side.  

4.) When grill is warm, grease clean grates (I use a paper towel dipped in vegetable or olive oil before I add the meat).

5.) Place cuts over high-heat and close lid.  Any fat produced may ignite the fire more and allow necessary blackening.  You’ll want the cuts to sit on each side for at least 5 to 6 minutes before flipping and brushing in another round of Stubb’s.  When the bottom has started to take a char, flip the pork loin chop, then brush all over with Stubb’s.  Close lid and cook until the bottom has also charred slightly and the internal temperature is at 135-145F.  135F is medium to medium-rare and 145F is well-done; cook pork loin chops based on your preferences for levels of done-ness.  

6.) Plate pork loin chops and dress in pepper sauce to taste.  

–Helana

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