Today’s recipe is another entry in my “What Do I Do With These Boring Cuts of Meat from the Grocery Store?” diary. Much like boneless skinless chicken breasts, those little three or four packs of center-cut boneless pork chops tend to jump in my buggy at the store at least once a week. I’m not talking about the delicious, thick-cut, begging-to-be grilled chops. These guys are thin. Not paper thin, but thin enough to go from tender to shoe leather in the time it takes to pour a glass of wine while making dinner.
Why do grocery stores ubiquitously cut their pork this way? Do they want us to think pork is supposed to be chewy and grey when cooked? Because it’s soooo easy to turn those tiny chops into exactly that! Maybe the stores are in cahoots with the chicken people…
Cooking a perfect chop is absolutely possible on the range, but I think it’s easiest under the broiler. With a timer set and the chops happily sizzling away under the brutal but consistent heat of the broiler, I am free to cook the rest of our meal for the evening ( or pour a glass of wine … ) without worrying about the inconsistent heat of my range over or under cooking them.
This recipe is actually based on a grilled pork chop recipe made by Plain Chicken, but I’ve adapted it for the broiler, once again, for the consistent heat and ease of clicking on my broiler over getting our charcoal grill going. I love how the floral and earthy flavors of the fresh rosemary combine with the natural sweetness from high quality honey to create a nice, thin glaze over the chops that locks in their moisture and gives a perfect crisp to the edges.
- ¼ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 - 4 center cut Pork Chops, ½" thick
- Broiler pan with grate ( like this one )
- Turn on the broiler. Set to "High", if that is an available option for your broiler. Place a broiler pan and grate on the top rack of your oven under the broiler to heat up while you prepare the pork.
- Mix all ingredients except for the pork chops in a large bowl. Set aside ⅓ of the mixed ingredients to baste the pork chops later.
- Add the pork chops to the remaining marinade in the bowl. Toss to coat.
- Place the coated pork chops on the hot broiler grate. Broil on the top rack of the oven for 4 minutes. Remove from broiler and flip the chops.
- Pour the marinade you set aside earlier ( i.e. NOT the stuff you had raw pork in ) over the broiled chops. Broil for 5 more minutes.
- Remove the chops from the broiler and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
The picture alone sold me… and I’m not even a huge pork chop fan! Will have to try these out for dinner one night soon
Wow – these look amazing! I cannot believe how little time they take to cook, too!