Brown Sugar Rubbed Pork Chops with Balsamic, Basil Rhuby-sauce

Happy Monday, everyone!

I am thrilled to be welcoming Carlee back with us for another amazing recipe that will have your friends BEGGING for the secret! Are you up for trying this amazing pork chop recipe? I know you are! Take it away, Carlee!

With Memorial day near and the sunny heat of the summer on the horizon, my mind is excitedly focused on barbequing meats… any kind of meat really, chicken, pork… marbled meats. This month’s post is a splendid twist on the traditional pork chops and applesauce routine.  I have created a tart and tangy strawberry, mango compote with its base a balsamic, basil rhubarb applesauce, – minus the apples. I am taking the liberty of calling it Rhubysauce.  This delicately sour and sweet combo is paired with balsamic vinegar and basil for a dynamic depth of flavor; the brown sugar rub on the pork chops adds a piquant sweetness.  For a little bit of crunch, I would add crushed pistachios or pecans to the mix.  Happy Grilling!

Serves 4 people

Prep and cook time: 35 minutes

Balsamic Rhubysauce

2 cups diced rhubarb

¼ cup water

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup diced strawberries

½ cup diced mango, preferably Ataulfos* variety

⅓ cup crushed pecans, potential crunch option

1 lime, fresh squeeze of juice

4 sprigs of fresh basil, chiffonade (fancy French term for “roll up leaves like a straw and slice”)

Brown Sugar Rub Pork Chops

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt

Grapeseed oil, used for the “glue”

4 fresh pork chops, bone in

Directions

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar rub ingredients. Take your chops out of the refrigerator and rub both sides lightly with oil so the rub will adhere easier to the meat.  Now slather this lipsmackin’ good rub on both sides of the meat and allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, we will be grilling and wolfing these bad boys down in 30 minutes, so just let them hang tight for now. 

In a separate sauce pan, let’s make the first stage of our Rhubysauce by adding rhubarb, water, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and a pinch of salt over medium heat.  Stir sporadically for 8-10 minutes until the rhubarb mixture is somewhat smooth.  Remove it from the pan and place in a mixing bowl to cool for ten minutes.

Strain through fine strainer, then combine with sweet strawberries and mangos, a spritz of lime juice and lovely ribbons of fresh basil on top over brown sugar pork chops, it will be out-of-this-world good; a delightful blend of tart meets sweet and heat. Just follow me through to last scrumptious bite.

Okay, while the rhubarb mixture is cooling, heat up your grill to medium heat and make sure the grate part is oiled so the pork chops won’t stick or tear; very messy and makes for ugly pork chops (however, if they happen to stick and you have ugly pork chops, don’t fret just cover it up with the Rhubysauce – no one will be the wiser).

Give your chops one final love pat before placing them on the grill and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes each side to achieve the lovely and coveted grill marks.  Turn your heat down, and/ or even place them on a higher rack to finish cooking through – it just depends on your grill’s heat levels.

When using brown sugar as the base in a rub, it’s better to cook the chops “slow and low” so the sugar doesn’t burn, char or taste all around dreadful.

The pork chops are finished when the internal temperature reaches 140°F. Remove the chops from the grill at this point and allow them to rest for 3 minutes covered by aluminum foil before serving. This allows the juices to recede back to the center of the pork chops creating a tender, flavorful piece of meat and it will continue to cook to the appropriate temperature of 145°F for pork.  I am having you take it off the grill before it reaches it’s ideal, safe temperature so not to overcook it into cardboard, you can thank me later.

To pull it all together, mix together the fresh strawberries and mango with the rhubarb mixture, plate the rubbed pork chops and dabble the finished Rhubysauce on each chop.  Give each plate a fresh squeeze of lime juice and trickle the basil ribbons and crushed pecans (if you used them) on top.  Enjoy!

*Ataulfo mangos are sweet and creamy, like an avocado, due to their smooth, nonfibrous flesh. They are small, oval with a small seed and turn a deep golden yellow when ripe. They are imported from Mexico and in season right now – a pleasant change from the typical mango we have come to know in our grocery stores.

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