Thursday, November 30, 2006

Great pork chops



Memphis-Style Pork Chops
Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter’s Cookbook Copyright 2003

½ cup bottled chili sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 boneless pork loin chops, cut ¾ to 1 inch thick (1 ¼ pounds total)
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Purchased coleslaw (optional)

1. In a small saucepan stir together chili sauce, molasses, vinegar, and chili powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Trim fat from chops. In a small bowl stir together basil, paprika, salt, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of each chop; rub in with your fingers.
3. Place chops on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes or until pork juices run clear (160 degrees F), turning once and brushing with chili sauce mixture during the last 5 minutes of grilling. (I broiled mine.) If desired, serve with coleslaw.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 260 cal, 7 g fat, 83 mg chol, 623 mg sodium, 16 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 31 g pro
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Sometimes pork chops turn out so good and other times they're just so-so. This was one of those times when they were really good. I didn't grill them since it was gloomy and damp outside. I considered the George Foreman grill but I decided to broil them and that was a smart decision. I cut these chops from the fattier end of the pork loin. They weren't all that fatty - pork is pretty lean these days - but that little bit of extra fat helps a lot. The were perfectly cooked and a bit crispy from being broiled (the contact grill tends to almost steam the chops making them rubbery instead of crispy). I hardly ever use the broiler but I think I'll be using it more often from now on.

The sauce was great. It had the perfect blend of tanginess, sweetness and smokiness. Even my son liked the sauce. I almost kept his plain but he ate an entire sauced chop and asked for more.

Hey, it's the last day to sign up for the November cookbook giveaway. Tomorrow is December! Guess I can start thinking about Christmas baking.

Speaking of cookbooks, here's a little advice. Do not order anything directly from Oxmoor House (Cooking Light Annuals, Southern Living books, etc) unless you want them to keep sending you more books and more bills. I ordered one CL annual from them, paid for it, and then a Southern Living cookbook came. I remember getting the solicitation for the Southern Living book but I didn't think I replied. When it arrived, I thought, well, maybe I had. Now that a third book has arrived that I'm sure I didn't order, I did a little research and found out that this is how they operate. Most people will just pay rather than return the book. Making a simple purchase can have so many strings attached anymore. Apparently they have been doing this for many years and have already been fined by the FTC so I'm sure the fine print was there, I just didn't read it. Live and learn.

Blast From the Past: Honeyed Pork Chops from October 2005. Why haven't I made them again. They were so good.

Question of the Day: How often do you broil food?

6 comments:

Miasys said...

Pork looks yum! I've been on the fence about a George Foreman grill, most of the time I just use my broiler anyway.
I got nailed on a Gooseberry Patch Christmas book the same way- they're part of the global conspiracy. It took me almost a year to get it straightened out, and they actually sent me 2 more books before it got fixed. I ended up going thru my state Attorney General's office, I was so p.o.'d by the time the third book came. It's insane.
I'd like to get in on the cookbook give away- I'm in the states, and not picky!

Anonymous said...

That happened to me, I just put Return to Sender on it and dropped it back in the mailbox.

Anonymous said...

I too got caught with children's books the same way. I also just put it back in the mail with return to sender, and after about 4 times of doing this, they quit showing up!
I don't use my broiler as often as I probably should, thanks for reminding me it is there. Funny how we get stuck in a rut recipe wise as well as method!

Anonymous said...

Hardly ever, and I don't know exactly why. I used to use it quite a bit. I've remembered hearing that you leave the oven door ajar, but most of the time I didn't. Which is correct?

Jan

The Cookbook Junkie said...

Jan,

I leave the door ajar because that's what my mom did. I'm not sure why though. Probably for temp or humidity reasons.

Anonymous said...

you leave the oven door open when broiling for constant heat