This recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s new cookbook, “The Outdoor Cook: How to Cook Anything Outside Using Your Grill, Fire Pit, Flat-Top Grill and More” (ATK, $29.99) covers equipment, fuel, fire and safety before getting into meals — like this one for grilled pork chops and stone fruit — to whet your appetite.
The cooks at America’s Test Kitchen say: “This weeknight-friendly, warm-weather riff on pork roast with prunes pairs quick-grilling pork chops with juicy ripe plums — one of summer’s finest fruits. The pork chops are sprinkled with a savory-sweet spice mixture of coriander, ginger, salt and pepper plus a bit of brown sugar to play off the sweetness of the plums. It takes just a few minutes on the grill for these thin-cut chops to cook through and pick up great grill marks, while the bit of extra fat from the bone keeps the meat juicy.”
Grilled Pork Chops with Plums
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 plums, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 (6-ounce) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, ½ inch thick, trimmed
3 ounces (3 cups) baby arugula
DIRECTIONS
Whisk oil and lemon juice together in medium bowl; set aside dressing.
Rub cut sides of plums with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Combine coriander, salt, ground ginger, pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with spice mixture.
For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high; cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill pork until browned and meat registers 140 to 145 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill plums until caramelized and tender, about 3 minutes per side.
Add plums and arugula to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter with pork.
— “The Outdoor Cook” (America’s Test Kitchen)
Source: www.mercurynews.com