Happy Halloween !! ... we take Halloween pretty seriously around here ..and I always go all out with a Halloween inspired menu , this year I went with pork chops that are marinated in a deep flavorful dark marinade with a very bright green jalapeno Mash, which is mashed potatoes infused with a flame roasted jalapeno & garlic puree , the dish was extremely impressive and a lot of my guests fell in love with the theme of it being inspired by a popular Disney Villain.. "Maleficent"...So here's what I did !
The pork Chops were bone in from Whole Foods , I had the butcher French them for me ...but he wasn't so hot with the process and didn't charge me the extra labor thankfully , it's not that hard to French pork chops ..I do this myself normally but I was on a schedule . For my fire I went with Mesquite Lump charcoal and I did them on my Weber Kettle 22inch and also added some thyme sprigs into the fire to give em a smoky woodsy flavor to fit with the dark fairy tale theme. My marinade consisted of deep and dark ingredients while still being pretty complex and flavorful, I added a dark beer ...Chinese Black vinegar ..Worcestershire sauce ...Kaluhua coffee liqour ..soy sauce ..dark brown sugar .. garlic ..fresh thyme, some rosemary , Jalapenos & smoked olive oil . I soaked the chops in the marinade over night and reserved some of the marinade mixture to baste them on the grill.
For the Jalapeno Mash I made a puree with fresh & fire roasted Jalapenos with some garlic. I never let any fire go to waste .. each time I'm finished on the grill and still have some heat, I seek whatever produce I have on hand that I can roast over the fire and store for future recipes, you name it ...smoked garlic ..roasted Jalapenos , red peppers , onions ..etc. I always have on hand for cooking. My favorite way of fire roasting jalapenos & peppers is right over the charcoal chimney starter , I place one of my grates over the chimney as my coals are heating up and they roast in less then 5 minutes , this also one of my favorite ways to reverse sear steaks or other meats but that's another post
![Smiley :)](https://letstalkbbq.com/Smileys/akyhne/smiley.gif)
. The wow factor to these mashed potatoes is the bright green color they have and I achieve this by using both roasted and unroasted jalapenos , the roasted add smokiness and deeper flavor while the raw jalapenos add the color and some heat. Smoked Garlic is a pitmasters delight .. and that's what I used in the puree but if you don't have any on hand regular roasted or just minced garlic is fine. I minced ,seed the jalapenos and coarsely chop em into the food processor , toss the garlic in, pinch of aalt ..and pureed till smooth, I didn't need to use water to hep smooth out the puree but always have some on hand incase you do.
Mashed potatoes take some craft to master ... the logic is simple to boil until tender and mash them with some butter & milk or heavy cream but that's not that case entirely ...so here's my tricks to damn fine mashers. It begins with the tater themselves... Yukon Gold's or russets are my favorite to use and depending on the kind of meal I'm preparing with determine if I keep the skins on or off but if I do decide to keep em I scrub them very well. Cut them all into equal size and shapes so they cook evenly .. and always add them to the pot first and then cold water to help you determine how water your going to need ,which should just be enough to cover the potatoes. I salt the water a bit...and at this stage I decide whether I want to add extra flavor or not such as an onion half ...shallots ...whole garlic cloves or even instead of using cold water I use chicken stock , potatoes are like sponges and absorb whatever you put into the pot ..resulting into some pretty dang flavorful mashed taters . Once everything's in the pot ...I put them on the stove and allow them to come to a boil slowly over high heat , it takes time depending on your stove so try to plan ahead as always. I check them periodically to make sure their fork tender and when they are I drain them completely and fish out any solids from any flavor additions I added, however if I use chicken stock as my boiling liquid and I strain the potatoes over another pot to reserve that stock to some into my mash. Once fully strained , in the same pot I boiled them in I begin mashing with a potato masher or even bean masher until well mashed and then switch to a whisk....and begin whisking in the butter & milk or cream, I do this off the heat and work quickly while the potatoes and pot is still warm. If I'm using chicken stock ..I add it very little at a time as too much of liquid can ruin the texture of your mashed potatoes. Once I reach the consistency I want.. I begin seasoning with salt & pepper or other spice mixture of liking ( Cajun seasoning is bitchin with mashed taters!) or like how I did here I used my jalapeno puree and tasted as I go. Once fully seasoned ..they are good to go ...and if you really want to get fancy you can double strain the mash, something we did at elegant banquet's I used to work at ...makes them very pillowy and smooth but it's more for presentation then anything.
This dish maybe festive and themed but it makes for an outstanding pork dish for any occasion ...it's simply damn good eating
![Smiley :)](https://letstalkbbq.com/Smileys/akyhne/smiley.gif)
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FOR THE PORK CHOPS
. 4 1/2 inch thick Pork Chops , bone in (Frenched if desired)
FOR THE MARINADE
. 1 cup dark beer
. 1/2 cup soy sauce
. 1/4 cup black vinegar
. 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
. 1/4 cup Kaluhua Coffee liqour
. 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
. 6 cloves of garlic minced or 1 heaping tablespoon smoked garlic paste
. 1 jalapeno minced ,seeded
. 1 sprig thyme
. 1 sprig roseamry
. 1/2 cup canola or smoked olive oil if available
Mix All Together in a bowl , slowly whisking in the oil at the end.
FOR THE JALAPENO & GARLIC PUREE
. 6 Jalapenos , 3 roasted, 3 fresh seeded & deveined
. 1 tablespoon minced garlic or roasted/smoked garlic paste
. pinch of salt to taste
. water if needed.
Puree the ingredients in a blender or processor until smooth ,adding some water if needed to help smooth out.
FOR THE MASHED POTATOES
. 6 Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled or 6 Large Russet potatoes , peeled & cut into equal sizes
. 1 whole stick of unsalted butter
. Warm Milk or heavy cream for whisking
. Jalapeno Garlic puree
. salt & pepper to taste.
.1) Marinate the pork chops in the marinade for 6 hours or till overnight
.2) Make the mash by placing the potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover them
.3) Slightly salt the water with a few pinches of salt and place the pot one stove and allow to come to a boil.
.4) Boil the potatoes until fork tender.
.5) Once fork tender , drain the potatoes and return them to the pot off the heat source and start to mash.
.6) After mashing , with a whisk start whisking in the butter & some of the milk or cream ...and repeat until you have the consistency you like , I like mash potatoes pretty smooth.
.7) Once you reached the consistency you want ...fold in the jalapeno garlic puree and fold it until it becomes brightly green and well incorporated , then taste for seasoning with salt & pepper.
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![Cool 8)](https://letstalkbbq.com/Smileys/akyhne/cool.gif)
Preheat the grill with Mesquite lump charcoal or other heat your source you prefer.
.9) Remove chops from the marinade and reserve the marinade and bring to a boil to kill any bacteria from the pork.
.10) Pat the chops dry and season with salt & pepper on both sides .
.11) Place Chops on the grill and grill with the lid closed vents open for 4 to 5 minutes each side until well charred basting with some of the cooked down marinade often.
.12) Transfer The chops to the cooler side of the grill and toss some thyme sprigs onto the fire , close the lid and allow the chops to absorb some smoke from the thyme and allowing them to cook through , I like mine at 145 degrees doneness.
.13) Once desired doneness is reached ...remove the chops from the grill and transfer to a plate.
.14) To serve ..simply place some the Jalapeno mash in the center of a festive or regular platter ..and top with a chop drizzling any accumulated juices over . Enjoy!!