Pork chops
Earlier this week my sister and I drove from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania with my 6-week-old baby in tow. Fortunately, the baby slept most of the time, but since I was trying to make the 10-hour drive without too many stops, we never stopped to eat.
So when we got home we were happy to find a home-cooked meal on the table. My sister, however, was a little less happy that it was pork chops. My mom has a bad habit of over-cooking pork. It ends up dry and bland. But one of my favorite things about pork is that it’s such a great vehicle for savory or sweet marinades.
My mom used a recipe from an old Family Circle magazine that called for ground chipotle chile and honey. The pork chops were dry, per usual, but the flavor was sublime.
I never reach for honey for much more than desserts or the occasional cup of tea. So I usually end up with bottles or jars of honey in my pantry for years, well past the recommended use-by date. This recipe calls for the honey as a glaze during the last few minutes of cooking, which will help me use up some of the excess honey in my pantry when I make it myself.
Unfortunately, my mom opted to mix the honey in with the chile and orange zest instead of following the recipe, and the honey was masked almost completely by the orange zest.
The flavor profile of the pork was nice in theory, but the orange zest was overpowering. I suggested that my mom stick closer to the recipe next time, using a milder chile powder if she’s worried about the meat being too spicy.
Using less orange zest would be strongly advised, and maybe a pinch more garlic.
The final product received mixed reviews from around the dinner table. For the most part, everyone agreed the orange zest was the strongest flavor. But we also agreed that the recipe was great for grilling to start the summer.
The recipe would work well for a pork loin on the grill or in the oven, or even in the slow cooker if you wanted to make it before work. Brushing the honey on in the last few minutes of cooking will add a sweet finish to complement the tangy orange zest and spicy chile. The dish is sweet and savory, so pork is truly the ideal vehicle for the recipe.
— Lauren Mifsud
