Brown Sugar Bourbon glazed Pork Chops

Fried pork chops are good...anything fried is good...just go to your local fair.  Fried Twinkies, fried Oreos, fried Coca-Cola, fried BUTTER...there's a Bubba Gump's list of what you can fry.  I love to EAT fried foods...but I don't like to FRY foods.  Whatta mess...like cleaning up after any meal isn't ENOUGH work!  I'm always looking for different ways to serve pork chops and chicken so I can fry less, which means clean less...and worry about fat and cholesterol less..examples of when less is a good thing, right?  I just happened to have some bourbon lying around, you know, left over from the Strawberry Bourbon Sauce.

The flavors of bourbon, brown sugar and dijon are a great sweet and tangy combination.  If it weren't for the alcohol, I might have a booth at the fair selling fried Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze on a stick. You don't need no Twinkies!



Makes 6 servings



Ingredients

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops

Preparation

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish or large zip-top plastic bag; add pork chops. Cover or seal, and chill 30 minutes, turning once.



Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade.



Grill pork, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) about 10 to 12 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160°, turning once.



Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan, and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Pour over chops before serving.

These are NOT my brother's lamb chops!

My brother, Dale, was a wonderful cook and I dare say he enjoyed it more than the rest of us, if that's possible.  Actually, he enjoyed EVERYTHING.  He never met a stranger and rarely had a conversation without laughter.  He was a very handsome, loving father and a talented carpenter. 

He had hemophilia and that's the last thing he wanted to be known for, but I mention it because it kept him in the kitchen. He couldn't go out and play like most boys, so he spent many days inside with mom.  He learned to cook, developed a passion for food and gleaned more knowledge from mom than the rest of us put together. 

Dale passed away in 5/08 from an aneurysm at the age of 58.  I haven't forgotten anything I learned from him, from riding a bike without training wheels, water skiing and playing pool to living life to the fullest. We like to think he is at mom's side again, in a kitchen, feeding people whether they are hungry or not and entertaining them with his stories. :)

I can't eat lamb chops..okay..hear the word lamb chops, without thinking about Dale at the grill, smiling, and serving them with mint jelly and a corny joke on the side.  My husband still talks about how good they were but I don't have his recipe and honestly, I don't want to attempt to duplicate it.  I did find a great recipe of Bobby Flay's, with some of our favorite ingredients.  Honey, Dijon, horseradish and of course, mint.  The glaze is delicious and it's not supposed to taste like Dale's.  Bobby may be famous for his grilling, but when it comes to a bigger-than-life personality, my brother would have won that throwdown EASILY! 

Ingredients

12 baby lamb chops

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Glaze, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat grill to high. Brush chops on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes on both sides for medium-rare doneness. Remove from grill and brush with the glaze.



Honey, Horseradish, Mustard, Mint Glaze:

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Salt and pepper

Whisk ingredients together in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.



Yield: 1/2 cup


Savor every bite and remember to savor LIFE!