Quick, Easy and Smoky :)

I'm not sure when I started making these pork chops, but it has become my go-to recipe.  It is quick and easy and this rub really enhances the flavor of the chops.  These chops are perfect for a quick week night dinner because you don't have to remember to put them in a marinade for any length of time.  You can prepare a good amount of the rub and keep it in the fridge, then it takes even less time.

Tonight I decided to add an extra zing and use a little of my pepper sauce as a pre-curser to the rub.  I just added a little of the vinegar to the chop then patted it down with the rub.  These chops turn out great every time and they didn't disappoint.  The pepper sauce helped keep them nice and tender and added another layer of flavor.

Smoky Rubbed Pork Chops

2 parts chili powder

1 part cumin

1 part cayenne pepper

2 parts paprika

2 parts garlic powder

1 part sea salt

1 part sugar

Generously rub each side of the chops with spice mixture.  Let sit at least 30 minutes, then grill. Does it get any easier than that??

An Ending and A New Beginning

Ok, I have a bit of an attention-whorish beginning to this post, but I am just so excited I can not contain myself any longer! Tomorrow is my last day at work!!! I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to be a stay at home mom and as of tomorrow at 4:30, the new adventure begins. Even though my little boy (hopefully) won't be making his appearance for another few weeks, I'm going to be using my work-free time to get the house in order and try to get some rest before the sleepless nights I'm sure to endure soon.

I'm also hoping I'll have some time to try out some new recipes I haven't been able to get to yet. I know there will be a lull in blogging once my little one arrives, so I plan to get a lot in before that happens. Mostly they are dessert recipes that involve baking, and knowing my track record in that department, I don't need to be trying out any of those as a new sleep-deprived mom.

Speaking of new recipes, I tried out a new pork chop recipe earlier this week. I saw it a while back on Celeste's Sugar & Spice. Honestly they were a bit too much work for a weeknight in my opinion, but of course they tasted great so my husband has requested to have them again. And we will, because they were really good and because did I mention I don't have to go back to work after tomorrow??? He says I should have the time now. ;)

The chops were perfectly crunchy and I loved baking them instead of frying them. Not only is it more healthy, but I just don't like to eat greasy meat. And putting them on a rack inside the rimmed baking sheet keeps the bottom from getting soggy. I also roasted some corn in the husks in the oven while the chops cooked. I then cut it off the cob and tossed the kernels with butter, cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Yum!


Ultra Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

Source: Sugar & Spice, recipe originally from Cooks Illustrated
(my additions/changes in italics)

4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1 inch pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tbsp)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves (I didn't have any, so this got omitted)
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have 3 1/2 cups crumbs). (I didn't want to dirty up more dishes, so I did this by hand. It wasn't hard at all and made the crumbs more rustic. I really liked it this way)

Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tbsp. flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour, shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of chops registered 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. (I just squeezed some lemon juice over my chop before eating and it was great!)

9.5 out of 10!

Brace yourself, coming at you is another Emeril recipe. I don’t know why when I am searching through hundreds of recipes his always stick out for me. Maybe it is because a lot of his food is spicy and garlicky…my two favorite things! (I’m not even sure if garlicky is a word, but you get my point)

Tonight we had BBQ pork spare ribs, Emeril style. I’ve only made ribs one other time in my life and they were good, but I underestimated how much cooking time they would require. Tonight I went in with my eyes wide open. I knew I would not be eating until after 8:00 p.m. Don't worry, I had a snack. ;)

This was a true test of my BBQ skills. Ribs are Taylor’s favorite meal…ever. He is also a traditionalist, so I was worried he would think the ribs were not up to his standard since I am not known for going the traditional route; hence the Emeril recipe. He was pleasantly surprised. He gave these ribs and sauce a 9.5 out of 10!!! My cooking has never been so flattered. He even said the ribs were great even without the sauce but the sauce was the perfect complement. The sauce is spicy though! It starts out sweet and then gives you a good kick at the end.

The only thing I would do differently is not put the sauce on the ribs while they are on the grill or at least just put a very thin layer. The sugar in the sauce caused it to make a pretty thick crust that just made for messy ribs. If you don't mind messy ribs, go ahead and cake on that sauce!

Pork Spare Ribs with Southwestern Barbecue Sauce

Source: Emeril

2 slabs pork spare ribs, about 3 pounds each - I only used one as you can see
2 tablespoons liquid crab boil
2 teaspoons, plus 1 tablespoon salt
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
Southwestern Barbecue Sauce, recipe follows

Place the ribs in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Cover with water and add the crab boil, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, remaining tablespoon of salt, and cayenne. Pat the ribs dry and rub well with the spice mixture.

Lightly oil the grill rack on a barbecue grill, and preheat to medium-low (about 250 to 275 degrees F). Arrange the ribs on the rack and cover (with foil or upside down hotel pan). Cook, turning every 20 minutes, until tender, about 2 hours, replenishing charcoal as needed. During the last 20 minutes of cooking time, baste the ribs with the sauce, turning twice. Remove the ribs from the grill and serve the ribs with remaining sauce and fried pork rinds.

If you want to make this dish in the oven: After rubbing ribs with spice mixture, place them in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Remove. Slather ribs with BBQ sauce, wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap, then wrap in foil, and return to the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Southwestern Barbecue Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons chopped chipotle chiles in adobo, with adobo sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until the onions are lightly caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles, and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and lime juice and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the adobo sauce, tomato sauce, molasses, mustard, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain.
Yield: 4 cups

Playing with Fire

I love the flavor of grilled food. And I don’t mean on a charcoal grill. I’m talking about a big propane gas grill. Even with the price of gas these days I can’t switch over to charcoal. I just don’t like how the edges of everything get all charred and taste burnt to me. I guess it is because I grew up with a gas grill and it is just what I am used to. My husband on the other hand grew up with charcoal and thinks it isn’t REAL grilling unless you pour a ton of lighter fluid on those little charcoal briquettes and have a flame that soars to high heaven. I really think he just likes playing with fire and it’s not so much about the flavor, especially since he usually praises my grilling skills on our gas grill. Actually, I know this is true because he loves anything that has to do with him creating fire. It must be a man thing. And to think, I am bringing another one into the world. It makes me shudder to think of the things my husband is going to want to teach our son. ;)

Grilled pork chops were on the menu this week and I’ve been wanting to use chipotles in adobo for quite some time. I thought the two would pair nicely and went off to find some inspiration. I saw a recipe for Garlic Roasted Pork Loin with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze from Emeril on the food network website. I am not a fan of raspberries but decided to look over the recipe anyway. I basically just used his recipe as a jumping off point, but you can find the original here. My glaze really added another layer of flavor to the chops. I did not particularly like the cut of chops we had because it was too fatty to me, but the variety pack was what was on sale, so there you go.

The grocery store also had ears of sweet corn on sale again, so I grilled some to go with the chops. This time I grilled them without the husks and basted them with Mediterranean Sea Salt butter every time I turned them. I had a coupon for McCormick's Mediterranean Spice Sea Salt and decided to try it out on the corn. I am in love with this stuff! I can't wait to use it on potatoes. :)

Grilled Garlic Pork Chops with a Chipotle Glaze
Source: Me

2 bone-in pork chops
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 tbsp olive oil
adobo sauce, from the chipotles
salt & pepper, to taste

Make small slits on both sides of the pork chops and place a slice of garlic in each one. Brush both sides of chops with olive oil and some of the adobo sauce and season with salt and pepper. Grill until done.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the chipotles and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Top chops with glaze and allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Kickin' it up a notch!

I like Emeril, really I do. But usually I get bored watching his show because he doesn't often make things the average home cook can whip up on a week night. Also, his recipes usually have WAY too many ingredients for me. However, I was looking for a different pork chop recipe since they were on sale this weekend. I really like pork chops, but have yet to find a good solid go-to recipe.

I came across Emeril's Shake 'Em Up Pork Chops and knew it would be on my table this week. It does have a ton of ingredients, but you can sub some of them for things you are more likely to have on hand. Let me also say that I googled appropriate substitutions for masa harina and there really don't seem to be any. The closest thing seems to be corn meal, but no one really suggests using it since they are prepared differently. However, since it is just part of the coating of the chops here, I decided to make an executive decision and substitute it anyway.

This is a pretty time consuming recipe when you include the marinating time. I meant to put the chops in the marinade last night and they would just get an extra long soaking, but I was too tired after dinner and gave in to my body's need to lay down. So tonight I had to make the marinade and let the chops sit. I managed to wait the 2 hours (with a snack of course) but it was hard. I have to say it was worth it though. Man, those were some good pork chops!! This will definitely be my go-to recipe when frying chops. Taylor's comment? "These are the best pork chops I've ever had. They were even moist when I heated them up the next day as leftovers!"

To go with our chops we had sautéed potatoes with garlic and shallots. It is a take off of Dela's Leeky Potatoes. I had never sautéed the potatoes without parboiling them first. This way would have been way less time consuming except I didn't follow Dela's directions to keep the potatoes in a single layer in the pan. I had too many for a single layer and just threw them all in there. It was taking too long, so I ended up finishing them off in the oven. They tasted great though!!

Emeril's Shake 'Em Up Pork Chops
Source: Emeril Lagasse

1/2 cup dry white wine - I used chicken stock
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons liquid concentrate crab and shrimp boil (recommended: Zatarain's)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
4 bone-in center-cut pork loin chops, about 12 ounces each
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup masa harina - I used corn meal
1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
1/3 cup olive oil

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the wine, 1/4 cup of the oil, the crab boil, pepper, cayenne, garlic, and bay leaf. Add the pork chops and marinate, refrigerated, turning occasionally, for 2 to 4 hours.

In a clean, large plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, masa harina, Parmesan, and Essence. Shake to mix.
Remove the pork chops from the marinade and shake to remove any excess. One at a time, add the chops to the dry mixture and shake until evenly coated. Remove, place on a large plate, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the remaining 1/3 cup of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side.

Sautéed Potatoes with Garlic and Shallots
Source: Adapted from Dela’s Leeky Potatoes

3 large red potatoes
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet. Stir in the red pepper flakes and the rosemary and heat for at least 5 minutes to infuse the oil. After about 3 minutes add the garlic and shallots. Wash your potatoes and cut a small piece off each end. Then cut them in half long ways and slice them into half moons. Make sure all your slices are about the same size so they will cook evenly. Crank the heat up to about medium and let the pan get a little smoky. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer and cook, tossing and stirring every few minutes until they are browned and fork tender.