Pineapple Jerk Glazed PORK CHOP Sandwich 3 TIPS for Moist Tender and DELICIOUS - 52 BBQ Tutorials

Pork... Well, let me start with a BEEF... About BEEF PRICES!

Seriously, have you noticed?  It's been about two years and beef prices have doubled.  Rarely does beef go on sale, and even more rarely does those sale prices really make it affordable for a weeknight meal.  "Beef, it's what's for dinner", at least for me, simply is no longer true.

So, pork, chicken and occasionally sea food have become "What's for Dinner".

It's also time to look at how chicken and especially pork are being engineered.  Lean... VERY VERY Lean is the way pork shows up at grocery stores now.  Which is fine, as long as you know the tricks to cooking a lean piece of meat...

First TIP... Internal Cooking Temperature of 140 degrees.  Cook pork with a meat thermometer.  You can get a fancy electronic one or a simple dial type, but it is very important that you use one.  The old standard of 165 was designed for pork with more fat.  A pork loin (where pork chops come from) is very lean and is becoming leaner every year as pigs are being raised to mature faster and have less waste during butchering.  Measure the temperature in several spots, be sure that the temperature reaches 140 degrees in all spots and then remove from heat.  this is true on the grill or in the oven or even pan frying.  Do not overcook your pork.  140 is just fine.

Second TIP... Brining your meat is easy, important and will make your finished product moist and fork tender.  The process of brining is very easy.  You can hunt for recipes and formulas that have several ingredients and spices, but a simple 3 ingredient brine is all I use...  1 Cup Salt, 1 Cup Sugar, 2 Cups Water, 2 Cups Ice...  Bring water to a gentle simmer, add sugar and salt and stir to desolve.  Remove from heat, add ice to cool.  Add your meat, cover and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.  Rinse the meat and dry with a paper towel before seasoning and cooking.  That's it, it literally takes less than 5 minutes of hands on work and the process... Makes cooked meat hydrated by a process called Osmosis.  Also by the process called Denaturation, the cells in the meat hold on to their moisture longer.  there are plenty of long winded websites that will go into detail if you want more information, but bottom line... BRINING WORKS!   BTW, Brining for as little as 30 minutes will still make a difference... BRINING WORKS!

And Third TIP... Rest your meat before cutting and serving.  The 140 degree target temperature will have a slight pink tinge to the center.  This does not mean the pork is under cooked, in fact, just the opposite.  By resting the meat for 10 minutes before cutting you allow the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat.  It also allows the temperature to even out.  The outside of the meat is always a higher temp than the center.  Resting allows that hotter outside to continue to cook internally during the rest.  If you have ever seen that pool of pink blood on a plate you can be sure the cook did not rest his meat before serving.

As for this sandwich, it is among my favorites.

I want no part of running a food truck... BUT, if I ever do slip and fall into owning a food truck, this sandwich is on the menu...

Make your own Hamburger Buns.  Store bought is fine, but doesn't these make for a more inviting sandwich?

Brine the Pork (See TIP #2 above).

Grill some Pineapple Slices along with the pork.

Make a simple Pineapple Jerk Spice glaze, in a mini chopper, cut up 1/2 Cup pineapple, combine with 2 TBS of Jerk Spice Mix and blend until liquid.

Grill your pork on one side, when you flip the pork to cook the other side, brush the glaze on the finished side.  Cook until internal temp reaches 140 degrees, flip and brush this side with the glaze...

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Prepare your sandwich, top with a little creamy green onion, garlic and blue cheese salad dressing (That post will come soon)

Pair it up with a Kale Salad, even top that salad with a slice of pineapple and whoop dee doo, you have a fantastic Pineapple Jerk Glazed PORK CHOP Sandwich!!!

And once again you have proven yourself to be a Master Of The Grill!

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Grilling Time Secret Extras" or "52 Ways to Cook BBQ and Grilling Recipes"!!!

Well over 52 recipes actually as I just can't stop... Over 100 in one grilling season (I love to grill!). But not just leat... Drinks, Condiments (LOTS of different BBQ sauces), Drinks, Desserts... even specialty items like GRILLED Pizza, and fun shaped Watermelons.  Easy and these ideas will make you the MASTER of your Backyard Domain!

****************************PINTEREST**************************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 

1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
   Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

LOADED Bacon Wrapped Dates - 52 Appetizers from the Grill

I first tried one of these off of a food truck in Tennessee.  LOVED em and have been working on a signature version for awhile.  After a few trials and errors I came up with this combination of the sweet dates, the savory tomato pesto, a spicy Pecan surprise in the center surrounded by creamy cheesy goodness and all wrapped up inside BACON BACON BACON!

Delicious and easy to fit into any BBQ, Burgers and dogs or a multi course extravaganza!

All the prep work and assembly can be done hours in advance so you can just toss on the grill, cook and serve.  These are small enough you can just add around whatever you have cooking.

Fantastic little appetizers.  I try to pull them from the grill same time I am "resting" my meat so everyone has an appetiser to chew on while waiting.

But make enough, they are WONDERFUL and it is hard to stop at just one.

OK... Here's what I did...

LOADED
Bacon Wrapped Dates

Ingredients

• FOR The SPICED PECANS
• 2 TBS Butter
• 12 Pecan Halves, Do not get pieces, as big and whole as you can find
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• FOR The FINISHED DATES
• 12 Medjool Dates
• 4 Ounces Goat Cheese
• 4 Ounces SunDried Tomato Pesto
• 6 Slices Thick Cut Bacon, cut in half
• Toothpicks or Skewers

Cooking Directions

1. Hours before your BBQ, do the prep work... FIRST, make the spiced Pecans...
2. In a small saute pan, Melt the butter over medium high heat.
3. Add the pecan halves, salt and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to low and saute the pecans until they just start to toast, about 10 minutes. STirring occasionally, the pecans will also absorb most of the butter making them slightly soft but still slightly crunchy for texture.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients...
5. Slice each date through just one side so that the seed is exposed but the dates are not cut in half. Just enough to remove seed and open a pocket in the date.
6. In each date, insert an equal small amount (about a 1/2 tsp each) of the Cheese, sun dried tomato Pesto and one of the finished Spiced Pecans.
7. Wrap each with the half bacon slices and secure with a toothpick or a long skewer.
8. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
9. Over direct heat on your grill, add the wrapped dates. Takes about 10 minutes for them to cook. The dripping bacon grease will cause flare ups so stay close and turn often until all sides of the bacon is cooked. The dates and the stuffing are safe to eat as is, you are just heating them. The dish is finished when the bacon is cooked.
10. Serve HOT from the grill and ENJOY!!!

*************************************************************************

So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Grilling Time Secret Extras" or "52 Ways to Cook BBQ and Grilling Recipes"!!!

Well over 52 recipes actually as I just can't stop... Over 100 in one grilling season (I love to grill!). But not just leat... Drinks, Condiments (LOTS of different BBQ sauces), Drinks, Desserts... even specialty items like GRILLED Pizza, and fun shaped Watermelons.  Easy and these ideas will make you the MASTER of your Backyard Domain!

****************************PINTEREST**************************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 

1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
   Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

KISS Grilled BBQ Glazed Pork Chops Keeping it Simple - 52 Pork Dishes

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid.

And that really is what grilling is all about.  The most basic of cooking methods.  Little fire, little meat and grunt grunt grunt, you have dinner.

But there are a few simple tips that will guarantee a succulent juicy fork tender delicious pork chop off the grill.

First... BRINE your Pork... Even a short time (30 minutes) will help, but preferably you can brine for about 2-3 hours.  I did a detailed post with photo how to hints on getting that butterfly look, and there is a simple brine recipe.  Just water, sugar, salt and a few peppercorn is all the ingredients you need (see, SIMPLE).

Second... Simple Seasonings... I just use Salt, Fresh ground Pepper and a drizzle of Olive Oil.  That is all you need, really.  Let the meat flavor shine!

Third... Cooking Time, 3 Minutes, 4 times... First, of course preheat your grill to HOT HOT HOT.  Plop down the meat and DO NOT TOUCH IT.  To get those beautiful grill marks you need to just let the meat rest.  By the time the meat is charred (3 minutes) where it touches the grill, nothing sticks and you are ready to rotate the meat (not flip, turn) 90 degrees to get the other half of the diamond shaped grill marks that PRO grillers always have.  Let this cook HOT for another (3 minutes).  Now flip and repeat (3 minutes) , turn and Cook, (3 minutes).  That's all it takes, 12 minutes for these beauties and they are cooked perfect every time with those beautiful grill marks.

And Finally... The Glaze... And this is VERY IMPORTANT, only glaze your pork during the last 3 minutes.  Every store bought BBQ sauce has lots of sugar in the mix.  This sugar is delicious when it caramelizes, which only takes a few minutes and TERRIBLE when it burns and it would burn in 12 minutes.  So just a simple brush of the meat and let it cook for a few minutes to bring out the extra flavor of the glaze, but be careful to not get a burnt taste.

While these tips are indeed VERY VERY simple, feel free to show off with your BBQ side dishes.  For this meal I made a salad of Tomatoes with Roasted Garlic, Olives and Pearl Mozzarella... Beautiful seasonably fresh and can be made a day ahead of time.  I also made  a Sweet Heat Pickled Potato Salad.  Again, easy and is best when made a day ahead of time.  And finally I goosed up a vegetable dish with a FANTASTIC OLD SCHOOL dish, Taco Doritos Corn Salad (Relish/Salsa/Dip)!  And once again... delicious and can be made several hours ahead of time... All these dishes and the only thing I actually made in front of my guests was the Chops

And that is my real tip... Keep It All Simple

Now that's a BBQ fit for a holiday!

*************************************************************************

So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Grilling Time Secret Extras" or "52 Ways to Cook BBQ and Grilling Recipes"!!!

Well over 52 recipes actually as I just can't stop... Over 100 in one grilling season (I love to grill!). But not just leat... Drinks, Condiments (LOTS of different BBQ sauces), Drinks, Desserts... even specialty items like GRILLED Pizza, and fun shaped Watermelons.  Easy and these ideas will make you the MASTER of your Backyard Domain!

****************************PINTEREST**************************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 

1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
   Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

Thick Cut Butterfly Grilled Pork Chops a How-to Photo Essay to get Perfect Chops EVERYTIME - 52 Pork Dishes

A Funny thing is happening at the meat counter these days... Not funny-HA HA, but Funny peculiar.

On a recent trip I was going to buy a couple of pounds of hamburger...  My selection of choice, 80/20 ground beef, nothing special, nothing extra grind or added mixing, just your standard package of hamburger came in at a ridiculous $3.99 a pound!  FOUR DOLLARS FOR HAMBURGER???  When did that happen?

Well, I took a look around and noticed that the pork loins were a very reasonable $2.49 a pound.

Hmmmmm....

Looks like I will be cooking up a lot of pork loin this summer.

Besides, when you think about it, if cooked properly, beautifully charred, crusty on the outside, moist tender and succulent on the inside, simply but deliciously seasoned... Who wouldn't rather have this than a burger???

But the difference between moist tender and succulent and over cooker charred shoe leather is not that far apart.

So, armed with comparatively inexpensive meat a knife and a little know how, you too can achieve... Moist Tender and Succulent!

Here's how...

 A pork loin is the cut of a pig around the rib cage.  You may commonly see this as bone in pork chops.  If you buy the bone in chops they will either need to be cut with two bones in order to get a thick cut, or you will get thin chops.  The thinner the chops the more difficult it will be to not overcook on a grill.  Just not enough center moisture to cook through and still have a moist center.

 So, we are going to buy that BIG Loin, that 3 pound loin, which is generally around a foot long (12 inches).  Which easily can be turned into six 2 inch chops!  You can usually find thick cut chops like this at a premium butcher shop... and you usually find a premium price.  These 6 half pound chops came in at just $1.25 per!!!

 OK... Now time to butterfly.Easy Peasy, really, you can do this (and of course you can buy the ones that come pre cut for that premium price... Let's do this ourselves and save that money!!!

Chops come with a fat side and a lean side.  There is a thin layer of fat around one side of the loin.  Position this side on the bottom of a cutting board and just start slicing through the pork slowly and carefully down the center.  You want to do this so that you leave a fraction of an inch of meat attached to that bottom fat layer.  That fraction will hold the chop together while you open the chop up like a book.  One tip is to be sure and cut through at each end.  Fat will shrink up as t cooks.  That's why steaks have a tendency to curl up as they cook.  The chops will curl a little as they cook, but cutting some around the ends will keep the chops from curling too much.

 OK... Now we brine.

Don't be scared, once you brine your pork you will never go back.  It only takes a few minutes of hands on work (and a couple hours of planning ahead, only down side is you shouldn't just open, make a few cuts and grill... you could, you just shouldn't).

Here's what happens when you brine...

Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes. This leads salt ions to diffuse into the cell, whilst the solutes in the cells cannot diffuse through the cell membranes into the brine. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix that traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from dehydrating.

 And here is the how-to's for a 3 pound loin cut into chops...

In a Large pot, simmer 6 cups of water
Add 2 Cups Sugar, 2 Cups Salt and 1/4 Cup Peppercorns

Stir until all of the salt and sugar has dissolved into the water.  Remove from heat

Add 6 Cups of ICE to cool the water.  Add additional if needed to get the water to chilled stage.

Add the chops.  Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 6 hours.  Even a 15 minute soak will be worth the time.  But longer the better when possible.

 After the chilly rest, remove pork from the brine and dry with a paper towel.  If you skip this step your meat will not get a pleasing crusty coat but more of a steamed look.

It sounds like a lot of work, but really once you do this a time or two you can do all of these steps in about 10 minutes of hands on work.  10 minutes that WILL make your pork moist tender and succulent!

 Simple seasonings...

Salt and pepper is all I use most of the time.  Be generous and pat the seasonings in before moving to the grill...

High direct heat... to get the diamond pattern, start the chops with the fat side up.  MAKE SURE THE GRILL HAS PREHEATED FOR 15 MINUTES SO IT IS HOT HOT HOT.  Put chop down, grill undisturbed for 3 minutes, then lift with tongs (never a fork) and turn 90 degrees and grill for another 3 minutes.  And flip over.

Now the fat from the meat is rendering out, flavoring the meat.  But also dripping into the coals or flame jets on a gas grill.  That's ok, you have the serving side looking perfect.  A little extra char will not hurt.  You are not looking for diamond shaped char marks anymore, so if the flame gets too high, just move to a non flaming part of the grill.

After a few minutes, measure the internal temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer.  Remove from heat when it reaches 140-145 degrees.... Every degree above 145 and your meat is just a little drier, less succulent.

Next is  VERY VERY VERY important... Take a rest.  Allow your pork to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving or slicing.  This allows the meat to relaxe and the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat.

But even better...

That 10 minutes gives you time to grill vegetables for your side dish... Like Peppers, Onions, Zucchini and Egg Plant

Which you can make into a wonderful Grilled pasta dish (that I will talk about in a couple of days...

If you think it is going to take more than 10 minutes for you to make your side dishes you can keep your meat HOT by wrapping in aluminum foil.  This gives you plenty of time to rest the meat (have I mentioned how important that is???), make a side dish and bring out your already made Cherry Salsa to serve on top of the perfectly cooked, simply seasoned, moist, tender and Succulent Pork Chop.

It's no hamburger, but the difference in price gave me an excuse to pop for the cherries and this fantastic combination... Tell you all about that tomorrow!

*************************************************************************

So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Grilling Time Secret Extras" or "52 Ways to Cook BBQ and Grilling Recipes"!!!

Well over 52 recipes actually as I just can't stop... Over 100 in one grilling season (I love to grill!). But not just leat... Drinks, Condiments (LOTS of different BBQ sauces), Drinks, Desserts... even specialty items like GRILLED Pizza, and fun shaped Watermelons.  Easy and these ideas will make you the MASTER of your Backyard Domain!

****************************PINTEREST**************************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 

1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
   Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest