fbpx
close
Recipes

Glazed Pork Chops with MEATER | Recipe

on

Succulent, Sweet, and Spicy Sorghum-Glazed Pork Chops for the grill from author Matt Moore

Our friend, author, grilling extraordinaire, and all-around Southern gentleman Matt Moore stopped by the MEATER blog to share a delicious recipe from his new book, Serial Griller: Grillmaster Secrets for Flame-Cooked Perfection. Matt’s super succulent, sweet and spicy Sorghum-Glazed Pork Chops are perfect for the grill. Using Matt’s brine recipe and your MEATER, you’ll get a perfectly grilled, flavorful, and tender chop. “When it comes to deliciously tender, juicy pork chops, a brine is a game-changer,” says Matt. “If time is of the essence, you can skip the brine, but be sure your grilling game is on point or you risk drying out the meat.” You can rely on MEATER to help you stay on your game if you don’t have time to brine.

You can also soak up all of that flavorful pork juiciness with Matt’s fruity and nutty couscous recipe. The lightness of the couscous with subtle fruity notes and a delicate crunch from almonds, combined with the sweetness and spice from the sorghum glaze will create a symphony of flavors and textures in your mouth. Get your grills ready because this is one recipe you don’t want to miss!

Sorghum-Glazed Pork Chops with Couscous

Serves 4
Hands-on: 35 minutes
Total: ~3 hours 30 minutes, including 2 hours brining

Sorghum-Glazed Pork Chop brine and glaze:

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1¼ cups apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup plus 3½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 double-cut, bone-in pork loin chops (1¼ pounds), frenched
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup sorghum syrup
  • 1 medium leek, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1¼ cups low-sodium chicken stock

Matt Moore’s Couscous side dish:

  • 1 cup uncooked couscousLime juice
  • 1 cup orange segments (from 1 large orange)
  • ½ cup pomegranate arils
  • ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions:

  1. Whisk together the water, sugar, 1 cup of the vinegar, and ½ cup of the salt in a bowl until dissolved. Place the pork in a large ziplock plastic freezer bag or brining bag; add the brining mixture and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
  2. Remove the pork from the brine and discard the brine. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the pork with 2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pep-per. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the sorghum syrup, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, and the remaining ¼ cup vinegar in a bowl. Measure and transfer ½ cup sorghum mixture to a small bowl and set aside for serving. Reserve the remaining sorghum mixture for brushing the pork.
  4. Open the bottom vent of a charcoal grill completely. Light a charcoal chimney starter filled with charcoal. When the coals are covered with gray ash, pour them onto the bottom grate of the grill, and then push to one side of the grill. Adjust the vents as needed to maintain an internal temperature of 350° to 400°F. Coat the top grate with oil; place on the grill. (If using a gas grill, preheat to medium [350° to 400°F] on one side.)
  5. Insert MEATER into the pork and set your target temperature to 145°. Place the pork on the oiled grates directly over the side with the coals (or the lit side of a gas grill). Grill, covered, until your MEATER probe, inserted in the thickest portion of the pork, registers 125°F, about 12 minutes per side. (If the pork starts to burn, move to the side of the grill without the coals [or the unlit side of a gas grill].) Brush the pork with the sorghum mixture reserved for brushing; continue grilling, turning occasionally, until the pork is glazed and MEATER instructs you to remove the pork from heat. Transfer to a serving platter and brush with ½ cup of the sorghum mixture reserved for serving. Tent loosely with foil and let rest until MEATER says it’s ready to eat.
  6. While the pork rests, heat the remaining 2 table-spoons oil in a small saucepan on a stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil over high. Stir in the couscous and remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper; cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the orange segments, pomegranate arils, almonds, and parsley. Serve the couscous alongside the pork chops.

A big thanks to Matt Moore for his amazing recipe. MEATER fans, let us know if you’ve tried Matt’s Sorghum-Glazed Pork Chops with your MEATER and tell us what you loved about the recipe. Want more of Matt’s new mouth-watering grilling recipes? Check out his new book Serial Griller, available now from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and available at these fine retailers: Amazon, Target, Walmart

Excerpted from Serial Griller: Grillmaster Secrets for Flame-Cooked Perfection © 2020 by Matt Moore. Photography © 2020 by Andrea Behrends and Helene Dujardin. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.  

______________________________________________________________________________

Photo credits: Helene Dujardin