Pork Chops with Rhubarb Honey Sauce

It's a long weekend here in the States & like most people we'll be spending it outdoors with many meals cooked on the grill. We got an early start on it last night with these grilled pork chops topped with a sweet & tangy rhubarb sauce.

Pork is such a good match with fruit & rhubarb is in season so I wanted to find a way to use them together. I just winged it with the sauce, almost making a rhubarb jam with the tartness of the rhubarb & balsamic vinegar offset by sweet honey. I really enjoyed the cinnamon in it, you could smell as the pork came off the grill & its flavor went really well with the pork.

We'd almost given up on cooking pork chops after too many dry ones, then we discovered bringing. It's an extra step but truly makes a difference. You can make your brine as simple as water, sugar & salt but, I like to try to bring a little flavor in with it too. I used pineapple orange juice in this brine because citrus goes so well with rhubarb. Matt suggested the addition of fresh mint since it goes with both rhubarb & citrus. Oh, we had wonderfully juicy chops! Unfortunately, we didn't really taste any of the flavor from the brine, most likely because the sauce was so flavorful. I'd like to try it again without the sauce to see if a more citrus taste comes through.

Pork Chops with Rhubarb Honey Sauce

4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick

Citrus Mint Pork Brine

6 oz pineapple orange juice
6 oz water
1 1/2 T kosher salt
1 t fresh mint, chopped

Put everything in a small ziploc bag. Seal & shake until the salt has dissolved. Open the bag & put in the pork chops. Place in a bowl just large enough to hold them. Seal the bag getting out as much air as possible. Massage the meat a little. Refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours. Rinse & dry chops.

Rhubarb Honey Sauce

1 c chopped rhubarb
1 c water
1/4 c honey
1/2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground allspice
1/8 t ground cardamom
salt & pepper

Put everything in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a rolling simmer. Let simmer until reduce by at least half & the rhubarb has completely softened. It should be quite thick.

Put the pork chops on a medium grill. Cook on first side for about 6 minutes. Flip. Spread Rhubarb Honey Sauce on top of the chops. Grill another 5 - 6 minutes until the chops are done.

Any extra sauce can be warmed & served on the side.

Makes 4 chops

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