Brined Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze

This recipe was not the best pork chops we ever had, but they were a nice change for a Sunday family meal.

Ingredients:

Brine:
2 cups water
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 pork loin chops, each 8 to 10 ounces and 1¼ to 1½ inches thick
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Glaze:

1/2 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar

Preparation and Cooking:
In a medium bowl whisk the brine ingredients until the salt and sugar dissolve, 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the pork chops in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the brine. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the brine, place in a bowl, and refrigerate for 1 to 1½ hours.

Remove the chops from the bag and discard the brine. Pat dry with paper towels (do not rinse) and season evenly on both sides with the rosemary and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before grilling.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, boil the balsamic vinegar until slightly thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter and season with the salt, pepper, and sugar. Transfer to a small bowl.
 

In a small bowl mix the sauce ingredients.

Prepare the Egg for direct cooking over medium heat (300° to 400°F).
 

Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the chops until they are still slightly pink in the center and the potatoes are tender and grill marks appear, turning once or twice. The chops will take about 20 minutes. Remove from the grill as they are done.  Place one pork chop on each of four plates.

Reheat the balsamic glaze. Drizzle the chops with the balsamic glaze.

 

Grilled Pepper and Eggplant Dip

We had an eggplant and extra bell peppers we were trying to decide what to do with.  We really enjoyed this dip.  It went great with homemade pita chips.  It is also really good leftover, just allow the dip to get to room temperature before eating it.  It helps it thin out a little

Ingredients:

2 long eggplants, about 1 pound each
3 green bell peppers
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation and Cooking:

Preheat the Big Green Egg to 300

Prick the eggplants in a few spots with a fork and place the eggplants and the bell peppers on the

hot grate.  Grill the vegetables until charred on all sides ~32 minutes for the eggplants and ~24

minutes for the peppers.  Transfer the grilled eggplants to a plate to cool.  Place the grilled peppers

in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let the peppers cool to room temperature for about 20

minutes (the steam trapped by the plastic wrap helps loosen the skin from the peppers.

Cut the eggplants in half, scrape the flesh out of the charred skin, and place it in a food processor. 

Scrape the burnt skin off the bell peppers, then core and seed them.  Cut the bell peppers into 1

inch pieces and add these and the parsley and garlic to the food processor.  Finely chop the

vegetables, running the food processor in short bursts.  Add the oil and lemon juice.  Taste for

seasoning, adding more lemon juice as necessary and add salt and pepper to taste.  The dip should

be highly seasoned.

Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with crackers, pita chips, carrots or as a spread on

French bread

UN-Traditional Cheeseburger

Not bad for a different twist on a hamburger.  Next time I will go a lot lighter on the cumin.  The taste was a little too strong for my taste.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 green onions, minced (white part only)
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano, dried
1 medium jalapeno pepper, diced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
6 slices Monterey Jack Cheese

Mix together all ingredients except the cheese slices.

Form 6 patties that are 3/4 inches thick.

 

Grill at 400° until desired doneness.  Turn once while cooking. Top with cheese the last 2 minutes of

grilling.

Toast buns and serve.