Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Mesquite Grilled Chops and A Giveaway

I'm notoriously slow about cooking. 

I plot.  I doodle on a white board.  I hem, I haw.  I go back and forth on what I want to do.

But this afternoon I had a plane to catch, Alexis had to work until 9:30pm and I wanted Trevor to have something good for dinner.  I took 30 minutes of time that I did not have and pulled this together.  


It was bold, just like the Sweet Mesquite Grillin' Beans that I warmed up to go with them, so I made a super easy avocado-ranch dipping sauce to cool the chops off a bit.

Mesquite Grilled Pork Chops
Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 4 pork chops, center cut, bone in, 3/4 to 1" thick
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground corriander
  • 1/8 to 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
  • 1/2 avocado, seeded, peeled
  • 1 Tbsp peanut oil
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
  1.  Preheat a grill to 350f.  (see note for mesquite options)
  2. Process the ranch dressing and avocado in a blender or food processor until mixed, about 10 seconds.
  3. Mix the spices together.
  4. Mix the oil, worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp of the spice mix.
  5. Season the pork chops on both sides with the remaining spice rub.
  6. Grill the pork chops for 5 minutes per side.  Brush carefully with the basting oil and grill until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145f (about another 1-3 minutes).
Notes:
  •  There are several options for getting a kiss of mesquite into your grilling.  Kingsford makes a briquette that already has mesquite in the briquette and you use it like normal charcoal.  You can also just buy mesquite wood chips at many hardware or grocery stores these days, just sprinkle them on your hot coals just before you start grilling.  No, you don't have to soak them.  If you are using a gas grill, you can just put a good handful of wood chips in a packet made of foil and put it over the heating element.
The seasoning goes on rather heavily.

Once each chop hits 145f, I push them off to the side where there are no coals.

Grilled mesquite pork chops and Sweet Mesquite Grillin' Beans - a great pair.


Giveaway Announcement
Grillin' Bold this Memorial Day?  Bush's has the beans for it.  Come join the cookout with Cookin' Canuck and Hoosier Homemade sponsored by Bush's Grillin' Beans!   What can you win?  How about this....


Pretty sweet, huh?  Two winners will each get this prize pack consisting of an Emile Henry Dutch Oven, a Sur La Table Cast Iron Skillet, a Sur La Table Grill Wok, and coupons for free Bush's Grillin' Beans. 

Here's how to enter the giveaway over at the Memorial Day virtual link up (you can't enter via my blog):
  • Share a new grilling recipe post or update one of your existing grilling recipe posts and include which flavor of Bush's Grillin' Beans you would serve with that recipe.
  • Include the phrase "Grillin' Bold this Memorial Day?  Bush's has the beans for it.  Come join the cookout with Cookin' Canuck and Hoosier Homemade sponsored by Bush's Grillin' Beans!"
  • Add the blog post link to Liz or Dara's blog and leave a comment to confirm the recipe was added.
  • Additional entries can be earned by tweeting about the link-up and tagging Bush's (@BushBeans), and the hostesses (@cookincanuck and @HoosierHomemade) or following Bush's Beans on Facebook.
 Standard Disclaimer:  This post is sponsored as part of my partnership with Bush's Beans.