Sooo…
you’ve got this lovely mess o’ nicely cooked ‘shrooms keeping warm on the back of the stove. What are you goin’ to do with them?
Might I suggest topping off a couple of pork chops, cooked on a grill pan (or, heck, go ahead and actually grill the suckers) as you would a steak.
The only real question?
To marinate or not to marinate?
Really, it’s your choice, both methods I list here work very well, and will give you really fine pork chops with minimal muss and/or fuss. One method (olive oil and seasoning) needs about an hour rest on the counter top; the other (marinade) is best after at least a couple of hours in a zipper bag in the fridge.
For these chops, I chose the buttermilk marinade and brushed the grilling chops with a bit of this Jeff Mauro barbecue sauce we’d picked up to try. Sure, I make my own (very good) barbecue sauce, but Rich saw this in the market and thought it worth a try.
One handy point; the barbecue sauce says on the label that it contains no high fructose corn syrup, but on the list of ingredients, the Worcestershire Sauce used to make the sauce does contain corn syrup, which made me curious, so I checked my trusty bottle of Lea & Perrins, and, just as I thought, The Original Worcestershire uses no corn sweeteners, just molasses and sugar, as it should be, so do check the stuff you use to make your stuff. Mebbe Jeff and company should’ve done the same.
Still and all, a nice sauce, and his list of ingredients has me thinking of a tweak to my own sauce – or at least an add-on, kinda like my cherry barbecue sauce; but this will be adding in vanilla.
OK, back to the chops…
For these beauties, I went with the buttermilk marinade, but I will also give you the olive oil and steak seasoning option…
INGREDIENTS
•Thick cut, bone-in pork chops
•Butter
•Barbecue Sauce*
Oil and Seasoning:
•Olive oil
•Steak Seasoning blend
•Seasoned salt
Buttermilk Marinade:
•1 cups buttermilk
•1/4 cup veggie oil
•1 tsp garlic powder
•1 tsp Vadouvan French Masala Curry
•1 tsp parsley flakes
•1/2 tsp celery salt
•1/4 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp red pepper
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce
•1 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce (or your fave hot sauce, to taste)
•Water to make 2 cups
As always, no buttermilk? No problem! Simply add one tablepoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to a measuring cup, then add milk to measure one cup. Give it a stir, then set aside to rest for ten minutes or so. You now have buttermilk.
*Or, you could use Sherry Peppers Sauce, hot sauce, your fave steak sauce, Tiger Sauce, anything you prefer. You could also top the cooked chops with a dab o’ nice bleu cheese and let it melt over them while they are resting, loosely covered in place of those very nice ‘shrooms.
If going for the oil and seasoning option, remove the chops from the fridge, rub bother sides with olive oil and seasonings and and let rest for one hour.
If going the buttermilk marinade route, whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour over the chops in a gallon sized zipper bag. Flip the bag a couple of times to coat the chops well, then stash on a rimmed plate (to catch any drippage) in the fridge for at least four hours or, always more better, overnight; flipping the bag when you think to.
Remove the chops from the marinade and allow to come to room temperature about 45 minutes before you plan on grilling them.
Cook in a grill pan brushed with butter, or on a grill brushed with a bit of oil.
Cook one minute, then flip the chops and cook for another minute.
Brush the top with sauce, then flip and cook (sauce side down) for two minutes. Brush the top with sauce, then flip the chops and cook (again freshly brushed sauce side down) for two more minutes. Repeat until the chops and cooked to your liking*, another eight to ten minutes.
Remove from pan and let rest loosely covered on a plate for ten minutes before serving – this would be the time to add a nice pat of blue cheese, if you were thinking to; or, by all means go with the ‘shrooms in the red wine reduction.
*The pork chops should read 145º when probed in the thickest part (away from the bone).
Grilled chops, nicely done.