Saturday, June 20, 2009

Marinated Porkchops

We're grilling indoors again. Hopefully the winds will die down and we can BBQ Bob's Smothered Steaks for Father's Day outside. But for now, nothing is going to keep us from enjoying that luscious grilled flavor.

I don't know about you guys, but I keep two grill pans handy for times like these.



One skillet and one reversible pan. (One side for pancakes!) They create the same beautiful grill marks as the outdoor BBQ grill does and with proper heating and seasonings they can replicate that delicious outdoor flavor. I know, my skillet is not cast iron, but I am looking for one and as soon as I find one (affordable) I WILL purchase it.

For now, we made delicious marinated porkchops that I used a dry rub on after the chops had marinated for about 4 hours. The taste was amazing. Take a look.
I served a Macaroni Salad with the chops and dinner was completed with some fresh fruit.
Throw in a few Dos Equis Beers and some non-alcoholic Sangria and you have yourself a delightful BBQ, despite the weather. Enjoy your weekend.
SPICY MARINATED PORK CHOPS
( COOKS.COM)

1 c. vegetable juice cocktail
3 tbsp. finely chopped onion
3 tbsp. finely chopped green pepper (I used jalapeno peppers)
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. low-calorie Italian salad dressing mix
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Few drops bottled hot pepper sauce
4 pork loin chops (bone-in), cut 1/2 inch thick and fat trimmed


For marinade: In plastic bag, combine all ingredients, except chops; add chops. Close bag securely; place in an 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Drain (I stopped here. After I drained the chops of the marinade, I let them sit for a couple of minutes then proceeded to apply the dry rub.)
Reserve marinade. Place chops on unheated rack in broiler pan. Broil chops 3 to 4 inches from heat 6 minutes on each side or until done. Heat marinade and serve with chops. Makes 4 servings.

Spicy Pork Chops
(This is the dry rub I used on the porkchops)

Spice these pork chops up by adding more chili powder, or perhaps some cayenne to the rub. Remember to grill them hot and fast.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preparation:
Mix dry ingredients together. Thoroughly rub spice mixture over the entire surface of each pork chop. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat grill. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes over a medium fire. Turn once.

Macaroni Salad

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, cooled
1/2 cup grated carrots
2 stalks finely chopped celery
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large jalapeno, finely minced
2 heaping tablespoons pimento peppers, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 hard cooked eggs and paprika, if desired

Mix mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, vinegar and sugar in a large serving bowl. Set aside.



Add chopped and minced vegetables into your macaroni. Add to prepared sauce in serving bowl. Fold ingredients together. Layer sliced hard cooked eggs on top and sprinkle with a little sea salt and paprika if desired. This is mighty tasty!
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Come look at the Smiley Face M & M Cake Lily made for Bob for Fathers Day. It's cute!
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It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker!

17 comments:

Finla said...

Wow that chops looks so delicous and i love that pasta salade.

Christo Gonzales said...

how can you beat this - looks delicious...

Gloria Chadwick said...

Dinner looks delicious. I love that you grill indoors. I don't have a grill pan, but I do have a George Foreman Grill. Do you think that would work? :)
You're just pretending to make those coffee noises so you'll throw me off track with finding my coffee. Oh, wait... I stole your coffee because you stole my Kahlua. Maybe you're calling your coffee with the coffee noises, hoping it will come back to you? Not a chance! I drank it all because you drank all my Kahlua. So there!

Heather S-G said...

These chops look awesome! I love my grill pan (it looks like that first picture) and I WANT one of those reversible ones. Yummy all around!

Reeni said...

I love your grill pans! I use a George Foreman, but really need to invest in one of those! And these pork chops - such a beautiful color to them! They look wonderful!

Deb in Hawaii said...

Looks like the perfect dinner! I love my grill pan too-it is so handy and easier for me than using the big BBQ grill.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Those are wonderful-looking pork chops, Teresa! I really like the idea of marinading and then doing the dry rub. It must have given amazing flavour!

Adam said...

Hope you're having a nice holiday down there! Nothing spells Father's Day like grilling, so I know you're having a blast.

The chops look great, I don't even think you need a cast iron. If you have a heart set on one... two words, YARD SALE. Totally :)

Thistlemoon said...

Looks like a delicious meal! I love pork chops!

Arlene Delloro said...

OOh, those chops look heavenly. We of the Italian persuasion love our pork. I've never seen vegetable juice used in a marinade. I'll have to give it a go. Great photos, too, Teresa.

The Blonde Duck said...

I need to get me some of those pans!

Unknown said...

Yum!! I absolutely LOVE spicy food. That combined with pork chops has to beone of my all time favs! Great job as usual, my pretty! I wish I can come over and eat one day!! :)

Nazarina A said...

Hi Teresa,
I need those very same grill pans, in fact I am definitely going to ask my in-laws when they next ask me what I want for Christmas. Look at me talking about Christmas already and it is only June!!!
Anyway, I love your macaroni salad, so refreshing a perfect summer dish!I do not eat pork( religion), but I am sure you made it tasty!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Teresa, thanks for commenting on my blog! I use my mortar and pestle for small quantities of spices because I find that in my food processor they sit below the level of the blades and don't get chopped. The other thing that happens occasionally is that the spices in the food processor can get a bit burnt tasting, so for larger quantities I will use a mill-style coffee grinder.

Dee said...

That looks like a Father's Day meal fit for a king. Delightful!
We did get a Mexican grill pan much like the one you have in that photo while we were South of the Border & I also have a Lodge brand Cast Iron Grill pan which to be truthful is much more difficult to clean up after a meal than the square version. Either way it is a great alternative & on rainy or cold days I am happy to cook just about anything on mine. Looks like you cooked up another winner here!

Tina Butler said...

Teresa those look really good. Everytime I try to grill pork chops they turn out a bit dry. What chops are you using and how do you prevent this. That macaroni salad looks to die for, that is my favorite salad Ü And it has been windy in Dallas as well. I am tired of it.

Anonymous said...

Good thought thanks for sharing.....

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