The pork chops come from a recipe from the 4 Rivers Smokehouse in Jacksonville, FL.
I am also making
Southern Green Beans from the same place.
Here is the recipe for the green beans:
1 smoked ham hock, about 8 ounces
8 ounces salt pork, cubed (or 6 slices thick-cut bacon)
1 cup diced onion
4½ cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
32 ounces frozen green beans
1½ tablespoons coarse salt
1½ tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake ham hock for 10 minutes, until it begins to release its juices. Remove from oven and set aside, taking
care to reserve juices in the baking pan.Meanwhile, saute salt pork over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large skillet until it begins to
release grease and the fat becomes slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add onion and continue cooking until onion is translucent, about 5
minutes. Add chicken broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a rolling boil. Add beans, salt, pepper, sugar, and ham
hock. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2½ hours. Add more chicken broth as needed.
Add butter and continue to cook uncovered for 30 minutes, or until beans are dark green and tender.
Here are the beans getting ready to go into simmer mode for the next 2.5 hours.
The recipe for the Cowboy Pork Chops with Soy Honey Glaze:
Brined Pork Chops
4 (14-ounce) bone-in, double-cut (thick)
pork chops
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 bay leaves
4 cups water
½ cup apple juice
½ cup soy sauce
1 cup maple syrup
Milanese Soy-Honey Glaze
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ cup honey
½ cup apple juice
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons cilantro, freshly chopped
Pinch of coarse salt
Pinch of black pepper, freshly groundTo make the pork chops: Combine all ingredients in a bowl or pan large enough to hold pork chops. Cover and brine for 24 hours. Remove
pork chops from brine and smoke over hickory at 225 degrees until internal temperature is 145 degrees. Remove from smoker and allow to cool.
To make the glaze: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes and cook
for 30 seconds. Add garlic, ginger, and scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Loosen bits from bottom of pan with rice wine vinegar. Stir in honey, apple juice,
soy sauce, and brown sugar; bring to a simmer. Mix together cornstarch and water; whisk into simmering liquid. Stir in cilantro. Remove from heat and season
with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and keep at room temperature. If made in advance, reheat and thin with a little water.
To serve: Brush chops with glaze. Put chops on a hot grill and sear until grill marks form. To make perfect “diamond” marks, place at a 45-degree
angle for 90 seconds. Turn chop to opposing 45-degree angle and grill for 90 seconds more. Flip and grill for 90 seconds. Then turn chop to opposing
45-degree angle and grill for 90 seconds. Remove from grill, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Ladle remaining sauce over chops and serve warm.
The pork chops serve well with grilled slices of pineapple brushed with the glaze and a jasmine rice pilaf.The pork chops out of the brine and getting ready to go into the Grid Iron until they reach an internal temp of 145.
Put on the Grid Iron using hickory pellets in the 6 inch tube and a 50/50 mixture of hickory/cherry in the pellet chute. Starting in
smoke mode for the first 30 minutes.
Glaze is mixed and waiting for the chops.
Part 1 of the chops cooking is done. All have reached 145 internal.
Part 2, the chops are now on the SRG getting seared!
Chops are done!
Your plate!
This is fairly labor intensive in getting the entire ingredients ready and cooking them. BUT, it was well worth the effort. Chops were
juicy, tender with a nice light smoke flavor. The glaze really enhanced the overall flavor. The beans were awesome. I will definitely
be doing this cook again! I didn't deviate from the recipes, except I left the pork chops in the brine for 36 hours instead of 24.