Updated: 9/3/04; 2:00:03 PM.
There's a Chef in My Kitchen
Culinary musings of a passionate gourmand, chef and social sommelier.
        

Monday, August 16, 2004

When cooking is easy, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to make it down right elegant. I mean, if I don’t have to spend time in the kitchen, there’s more time to fuss over the things that transform meals from ordinary to elegant. Right? I find that sentiment especially true this time of year. As much as I love to cook, I certainly don’t want to spend one more minute than necessary in the kitchen – especially when sun and mild, temperate breezes are the main stay these days. Fire up the grill, I say. But, truth be told, I’ve had about as much barbecued chicken and ribs, burgers and dogs as I can handle. I want something that doesn’t scream back yard cookin’. Something that’s a bit elegant, but still easy. My choice is easy: Pork Chops.

Pork Chops? Elegant? Easy? Or, have I been in the sun just a tad too long? Well, yes (to it all), but most definitely to the Pork. I know what you’re thinking. I’ve had them too. Dried out, leather shreds of meat attached to a fossilized bone. But pork doesn’t have to be that way. It just takes a leap of faith, a little time and handy meat thermometer.

First, the leap of faith. You need to make a brine. Yes. A simple brining solution will transform your average pork chop into a flavorful, succulent bite of moistness. For most, brining sounds… well, just down right odd. Perhaps if I just called it a marinade? Regardless, all you need to do is allow your soon to be delicious chops to take a bath in a solution of sugar and salt, water and a handful of spices (and a splash of bourbon to make it oh, so grown up!) – for a couple of hours. Yes. That’s part two.

A little time. But the beautiful thing here is, it’s not your time! Ten minutes or less to whip up the brine, cover the chops, and the rest of the day is yours. (And that frees up your time to go find the perfectly elegant wine for the perfectly brined chops).

When it finally comes time to grill the chops, make sure they come off the heat the instant you hit 160°F on your meat thermometer (or even sooner for skinny chops, thinner than 1"). For this very reason alone, I always advocate for the high heat, high sear at the beginning of the grilling session. You get your great grill marks, and a little bit of carmelizaton right off the bat. The rest is just nice easy grilling. (That, of course, frees you up to open that wonderful bottle of wine.)

For this luscious little brining feast, my favorite wine store turned me onto Domaine des Baumard Savennieres, Trie Speciale 2000, a bright, complex – but not full bodied, white from the Loire Valley. A Chenin Blanc that at 4 years, still has potential for a long time in the cellar. Remarkable.

This dry, crisp and concentrated wine is full with fresh straw and honey, apricots and apple. Not much on the nose, but the food match is undeniable. Plenty of acidity to cut through the sweet and spice in the brine, and enough fruit that makes you believe you are eating applesauce with the meat, to boot.

An elegant barbecue feast. Moist, flavorful pork paired with an incredible Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley. The meal easy; the wine makes it elegant. And together, they are a flavor powerhouse. I may very well have stumbled onto the perfect combination for autumn entertaining – easy and elegant. What a terrific discovery for this time of year.

Bourbon-Brined Pork Chops:
Adapted from How to Grill, Copyright © 2001 by Steve Raichlen

4 loin pork chops (each 1 inch thick and about 10 to 12 ounces)
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick broken into 2 or 3 pieces
10 peppercorns, assorted varieties
5 allspice berries
3 cloves
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons coarse (kosher) salt
1 cup hot water
2 cups cold water
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil, plus 2 tablespoons for basting
Soaked Applewood chips (for smoking – optional)

Prepare the Chops:
Place pork chops in a resealable plastic bag. Arrange the rings of onions, bay leaves, pieces of cinnamon stick, peppercorns, allspice berries and cloves one each side of the meat.

Make the Brine:
Combine the brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the hot water and whisk until dissolved. Stir in the cold water, bourbon and 2 tablespoons of oil. Pour this mixture over the chops, making sure to they are covered and coated evenly. Brine the chops, in the sealed bag for at least 4 hours and up to 6, turning if necessary to ensure even brining. (Note: because there isn’t much salt in this brining solution, you can even stretch the brining time to 8 hours without risking reversing the effects of the brine. Make sure you are using 1" thick chops, though.)

Prepare Grill:
Set up your grill for indirect grilling, and preheat to high. If using the smoker chips, preheat until you see smoke. When the grill is ready, brush the grill grates with oil (vegetable or bacon fat). Remove the chops from the brine and blot dry, removing any loose spices. Brush each side of the chops with remaining hazelnut oil. Arrange the chops in the front of the grates (directly over the fire) and grill for two minutes. Then move the chop one quarter of a turn, and continue searing for two more minutes (this creates perfect grill marks).

Turn the chops over and repeat the searing procedure. For the last sear, make sure the chop is place in the center of the grill grate, and let the chops continue to cook (indirect method) about 8 minutes more. Check for doneness after about 5 minutes to properly gauge your overall cooking time.

Remove chops from grill and cover with foil. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Serve.


7:32:18 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 Donna Marie Zotter.
 
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