Grilled Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

I'm not entirely sure what my deal is lately, but my meal planning has been non-existent.  Food shopping has been hit or miss, and I've found myself quite a few times standing in front of the freezer at 5 PM, wondering what I can pull out and make.  Pizza has been a common meal (that pizza place they built near us has been a blessing and a curse) but when someone says, "Pizza again!" you know you have a problem.

The weather was still fairly decent last week, so I decided I would find a quick recipe for the grill.  These were quick - I made the glaze inside the house while the pork chops cooked on the grill.  Cutting a slit in them will prevent them from curling up as they cook.  I did skip the cayenne as I didn't want them to be too hot for the kids.  Tasty!

Grilled Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

Cook's Country Magazine

4 (10-ounce) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, about 1 inch thick, trimmed

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through fat and connective tissue around outside of each chop. Combine sugar, salt, and pepper in bowl. Pat chops dry with paper towels and rub with sugar mixture.

Whisk vinegar and cornstarch in small saucepan until no lumps remain. Stir in honey, mustard, thyme, and cayenne and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until glaze is reduced to 1/4 cup, 5 to 7 minutes.

Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium-low.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chops on cool part of grill and cook (covered if using gas) until meat registers 140 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Brush chops with glaze and grill, glazed side down, over hot part of grill until caramelized, about 1 minute. Repeat with second side of chops. Transfer chops to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze. Serve.

Pork Loin with Cranberries and Orange

Weekends around here have been pretty busy.  There always seems to be someplace to go, something that needs to be cleaned or something that needs to be organized. 

This past weekend I am spent my time dragging out the warmer blankets and down comforters, washing all the summer stuff and putting it away.  I also have a pile of sweaters that whisper "wash me" every time I walk by, but I am trying my best to ignore them.  One thing at a time...

When I was growing up we went to one grandmother or another for Sunday dinner.  Sunday dinner at my mom's mom meant Italian.  Sunday dinner at my babci's house usually meant a roast of some sort.  Didn't matter which house we went to - Sunday dinner was always an all-day affair that someone started cooking early Sunday morning.

Admittedly there are times that I would like to be able to spend a good chunk of my day cooking, but those days are few and far between (although Thanksgiving is right around the corner).  I do like to have a bigger meal on Sunday for dinner like I did growing up, but I can't spend every Sunday in the kitchen.

This pork loin recipe is another one from Slow Cooker Revolution.  I put this in the slow cooker late morning and by dinner it was done.  I just so happen to have an over abundance of cranberries in the freezer, so for the sauce I made the one on the back of the Ocean Spray bag, substitiuting orange juice for the water.  The pork was so tender even the little guy was able to cut it with his fork.  I think I also passed on my love of cranberries to one of my kids - he was putting the sauce from the roast all over his rice and carrots as well.

Pork Loin with Cranberries and Orange
 
4  pounds  pork loin, lean, boneless
1 tablespoon  vegetable oil
14 ounces  cranberry sauce
1/2 cup  dried cranberries
1/2 cup  orange juice
3 strips  orange zest -- trimmed of white pith
1/8 teaspoon  ground cinnamon

Dry pork with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown pork on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes.

Stir cranberry sauce, dried cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and cinnamon into slow cooker.  Nestle browned pork into slow cooker.  Cover and cook until pork is tender and registers 140-145 degrees on thermometer, about 4 hours on low.

Transfer pork to cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.  Let braising liquid settle for  5 minutes then remove fat from surface using a large spoon.  Discard orange zest.  Transfer braising liquid to saucepan and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 12 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slice pork into 1/2-inch thick slices and arrange on serving platter.  Spoon 1 cup sauce over meat and serve with remaining sauce.