The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (235 page)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Too many grilled pork chops are burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. And even if they are cooked evenly, they can still be tough and bland. We wanted great-looking and great-tasting chops with a crisp, perfectly grilled crust and juicy, flavorful meat. What’s more, we wanted our chops plump and meaty, not thin and tough.

We started with the right chops—tender and flavorful bone-in rib loin or center-cut loin chops worked best—and brined them to pump up their flavor and lock in moisture. To brown the pork chops, only a really hot fire would do. But keeping them over high heat long enough to cook through dried them out. So we grilled the chops over a two-level fire, with one side of the grill intensely hot to sear the chops, and the other only moderately hot to allow the chops to cook through without burning the exterior. A spice rub, made with potent spices and applied before grilling, added big flavor and gave our chops a nice crust.

SERVES 4

Rib loin chops are our top choice for their big flavor and juiciness. The spice rub adds a lot of flavor for very little effort, but the chops can also be seasoned with pepper alone just before grilling. If the pork is enhanced (see
TEST KITCHEN TIP NO. 103 KOSHER? YES. ENHANCED? NO.
), do not brine and add 2 teaspoons salt to spice rub or pepper.

1.
Dissolve salt and sugar in 1¹⁄
₂
quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chops in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chops with spice rub.

2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds evenly over grill, then pour remaining coals over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

2B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).

3.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chops on hotter side of grill and cook (covered if using gas) until browned on both sides, 4 to 8 minutes. Move chops to cool side of grill, cover, and continue to cook, turning once, until meat registers 145 degrees, 7 to 9 minutes longer. Transfer chops to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.

MAKES
¹⁄
₄
CUP, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILLED PORK CHOPS

Combine all ingredients in bowl.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For great grill-smoked pork chops with rosy-pink, ultra-moist meat and true smoke flavor throughout, we built a fire on two sides of the grill, leaving the center empty, except for a disposable aluminum roasting pan. We started the chops low and slow on the grill over the roasting pan. Then we applied a few coats of sauce and achieved a beautiful crust by searing them over the hot sides of the grill. We determined that bone-in chops were our best bet. The bones add flavor to the meat as it cooks and contain connective tissues and fat that break down to lend suppleness. What’s more, the hollow structure of a bone acts as an insulator, slowing down heat penetration. We used this to our advantage by resting each chop on its bone instead of laying it flat. To keep them from toppling over, we speared them together with skewers, making sure to leave a good inch between each one to allow smoke to circulate, then stood them upright in the center of the grill with bone, not meat, touching the grill.

See “GRILL-SMOKING BARBECUED PORK CHOPS” illustration that follows recipe.

SERVES 4

Buy chops of the same thickness so they will cook uniformly. Use the large holes on a box grater to grate the onion for the sauce. Two medium wood chunks, soaked in water for 1 hour, can be substituted for the wood chip packet on a charcoal grill. You will need two 10-inch metal skewers for this recipe.

SAUCE

CHOPS

1. FOR THE SAUCE:
Bring all ingredients to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer ¹⁄
₂
cup sauce to small bowl and set aside remaining sauce for serving.

2. FOR THE CHOPS:
Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in foil packet and cut several vent holes in top. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Use sharp knife to cut 2 slits about 1 inch apart through outer layer of fat and connective tissue. Season each chop with ¹⁄
₂
teaspoon salt and ¹⁄
₂
teaspoon pepper. Place chops side by side, facing in same direction, on cutting board with curved rib bone facing down. Pass 2 skewers through loin muscle of each chop, close to bone, about 1 inch from each end, then pull apart to create 1-inch space between each.

3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent halfway and place roasting pan in center of grill. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into 2 even piles on either side of roasting pan. Place wood chip packet on 1 pile of coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.

3B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Place wood chip packet over primary burner. Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high. (Adjust burners as needed during cooking to maintain grill temperature between 300 and 325 degrees.)

4.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place skewered chops bone side down on grill (in center if using charcoal). Cover and cook until meat registers 120 degrees, 28 to 32 minutes.

5.
Remove skewers from chops, tip chops onto flat side and brush surface of each with 1 tablespoon sauce. Transfer chops, sauce side down, to hotter parts of grill (if using charcoal) or turn all burners to high (if using gas) and cook until browned on first side, 2 to 6 minutes. Brush top of each chop with 1 tablespoon sauce, flip, and continue to cook until browned on second side and meat registers 140 degrees, 2 to 6 minutes longer.

6.
Transfer chops to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve, passing reserved sauce separately.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

The problem when grilling pork tenderloin is how to achieve a good crust without destroying the delicate texture of the meat. For tender, juicy, flavorful meat, we brined the tenderloins for one hour, then added a rub (wet and dry rubs worked equally well), and grilled them over a fire with one hot side and one cooler side. As we often do when grilling tender cuts of meat, we first seared the tenderloins over high heat, then finished them on the cooler part of the grill so they could cook through without charring.

SERVES 6 TO 8

If the pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not brine. Pork tenderloins are often sold two to a package, each piece usually weighing 12 to 16 ounces. The cooking times below are for two average 12-ounce tenderloins; if necessary, adjust the times to suit the size of the cuts you are cooking. If you opt not to brine, bypass step 1 in the recipe and season the tenderloins generously with salt before grilling.

1.
Dissolve salt and sugar in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge pork tenderloins in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Coat tenderloins with spice rub.

2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

2B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.

3.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place tenderloins on grill (hot side if using charcoal) and cook (covered if using gas) until well browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning as needed. Move tenderloins to cool part of grill (if using charcoal) or turn all burners to medium-low (if using gas), cover, and continue to cook until meat registers 140 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

4.
Transfer tenderloins to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces and serve.