Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops

"A porkchop in the kitchen is a porkchop; a porkchop in Proust is Proust."
~William Gaso

Cooking is both a science and an art, heavy on the art. But the beauty of that science and art is that it can be simple. It does not have to be complicated.

Take the humble pork chop. Suitable for roasting, grilling, frying, or baking. Pork has a light flavour which lends itself readily to taking on the savouriness of marinades and vegetables. Cooked the right way, pork is incredibly juicy. You can make a production of preparing pork chops, or you can keep things simple. And with summer upon us, grilling gives the perfect medium to prepare simple, yet flavourful chops.

The beauty of this recipe is that it provides a marinade, a glaze, and a sauce all in one swoop! 

Brown Sugar Marinade/Glaze/Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
4 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt , and pepper. Bring this mixture to a gentle boil. In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Whisk the corn starch water into the brown sugar mixture. Stir until thick. Remove from heat.

Pour about 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture into a shallow glass dish with enough for six pork chops - thick chops, not thin (thin chops are great for frying, but dry out far too fast for grilling) - to have some room between them. Gently place the chops into the dish and then turn them, lightly coating both sides. Let sit, covered in the refrigerator for half an hour to an hour.

When you are ready to grill, prepare your charcoal or gas grill for medium heat (the temperature inside the grill should be 350°F to 375°F). Brush and oil the grill grate.

Place the pork chops on the grill and sear, turning once, until grill-marked on both sides. Move the chops to an indirect-heat area - not directly over the hottest coals or over a burner - and cover the grill. Cook until somewhat firm to the touch or until a thermometer inserted into the center of a chop reads 145°F. This takes about 15 minutes.

Right before you remove the chops from the grill, brush them again with the brown sugar mixture and let the glaze set.

Transfer the chops to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve, drizzled with the remaining brown sugar mixture, with boiled potatoes and steamed vegetables. Enjoy!