Cherry smoked pork chops, caramelized onions, roasted poblano, and cheesy polenta
While wandering through the local butcher shop I had to stop and double look because there was some beautiful thick cut pork chops staring at me from behind the glass. Since currently I am lacking in the pork chop department (3 freezers full of meat and a pork fetish you think I would have pork chops) I had to get them. Of course normally when I pick up meat or defrost something I have a plan for it. Uhh…crap not even a clue what to do. Hmmm….it is 4:30 I am not really all that hungry right now so I have time and I want to get some work done in the garage.
Debating the chop’s fate on the way home led me to using some cherry wood chips (fruit wood and pork are best friends) and the charcoal grill. As far as seasoning hmmm…simple is always better so salt and pepper sound great.
Now it was coming down to sides and since I have been dying for a good bowl of French Onion Soup I figured why not top the pork chops with some caramelized onions plus they will take about the same time to cook as the pork chops. Hmmm….well now this could be a problem sweet wood with sweet onions ohh…roasted poblanos will help cut through that sweetness and add a nice kick.
Dang this is really sounding semi-healthy here so time to make a polenta and throw enough butter and parmesan cheese to cause a small infant to have a heart attack. Yeah!! Simple dinner plan is no longer simple dinner plan.
So if you are still with me here is the breakdown of everything:
For the pork chops you will need:
- Pork Chops
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For the pork chops you want to use a direct and indirect heating configuration. If you are charcoal this means all the charcoal on one side and for you gassers one burner on high and the other burners on low.
Salt and pepper the pork chops and place them over the hot part of the grill and cook for a couple minutes a side. Once they are browned move the pork chops to the low heat part of the grill.
If you want to add in some wood chips this is the time to do it. If you are using charcoal just dump the wood chips on top of the charcoal and cover the grill. If you are a gasser this could cause a little bit more thinking. The easiest way is to wrap them up in foil, poke holes in the top, and place on top of the burner.
Personally I never worry about soaking them. I find they smoke whether they are wet or they are dry. This is also one of those things that could be debated for hours so if you want to soak them awesome soak away.
Remember pork is safe at 137 and tastes like burnt rubber when well done. Find a comfortable good middle ground and stick to that. Personally I pull them at 140 and let them sit for a couple minutes.
While the pork is cooking time to turn your attention to the caramelized onions. For the caramelized onions you will need:
- 2 onions cut in half sliced thinly (mandoline is the perfect tool)
- 2 good glugs of extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
Over medium heat add the oil, onions, and a pinch of salt. The pan will seem overcrowded but they will cook down very quickly. Let it go for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally and they will start turning a darker color. After they start darkening it will take a lot more stirring since caramelized is about a stone’s throw away from burnt (about 10 more minutes making it a total of 20-25 minutes). While the onions are caramelizing it is the perfect time to make the polenta. Basically follow the directions on the package and once the polenta is cooked shut off the heat, add in 2 TB of unsalted butter, and about a 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (if my cardiologist is reading this yes it is safe to put that deposit on the BMW).
Once the pork chops are done time to roast the peppers. Roasting poblanos is basically put oil on the pepper and throw it on the grill grate. Turn occasionally till the skin is blackened all over. Once it is blackened remove the skin, discard the seeds and stem, and dice.
Ok now everything is done and you are ready to eat. This is also a great time to relax because four separate components to a meal is a lot of running around for one person.
As usual you have me craving meat as if I haven’t had it in a year, just amazing looking.
Those are some lovely pork chops!
um…that looks amazing. heaven forbid it be too healthy–cheesy polenta was a good call.
Love the sound of that cheesy polenta…the best polenta I ever head was paired with a Romanian cheese called “branza de burduf” (there’s no translation since you cannot find it in other countries). It had such a nice tang.
Those pork chops are indeed beautiful!
I don’t eat pork, but that looks good, and I think the recipe can be used for other meat?
Shreya: chicken would be an awesome sub.
Now this is my kind of meal. All of my “I’m hungry” improv meals also seem to be centered around chops (pork, lamb, etc) and you can never go wrong with it. This looks really tasty