Dinner on the Grill

So, in my attempt to lighten things up this week, I found myself buying boneless pork tenderloin chops at Trader Joe’s. I rarely buy meat simply because it’s usually expensive and laden with calories, however, I wanted to use the grill. I mean hell, it’s the summer. These chops were way cheap, like $5 for 6 (they were thin), so I thought what the hell. Let’s make pork chops. I also had a bunch of zucchini in my fridge, which is like one of the best veggies to throw on the grill. As you can see in the pic, I cut it into spears as I find it’s easiest to maneuver on the grill. Brush with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Get on the hot grill for about 3 minutes on each side or until you get those lovely grill marks and the veggies are pleasantly soft. Delish.

The pork chops are another matter. I never grill pork chops without brining them. I place the chops in a large lidded container and add in the following:

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
5-6 peppercorns
3 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh ginger

I then add enough water to just cover the chops, then I lid it, shake it up, and stash it in the fridge for a few hours. When you’re ready to grill you just remove the chops, pat them dry, and get them on a hot grill. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the chops. These were thin so they took only a few minutes on each side. You can brush on barbecue sauce at the very end if you like, but I left mine plain.

You’ll also notice I have brown rice on my plate. Yum. A word about brown rice for you non-believers. I’m a huge fan of brown rice, but I only became so when I discovered two things: the right kind of rice and the right way to cook it. I’ve found that the best kind of brown rice is short grain. It has a really great I buy mine in bulk at Whole Foods – it’s like $1.79 a pound, way cheaper than you’d find it anywhere else. Admittedly, one of the very few things the starving artist will purchase at Whole Foods… But no matter what brown rice you decide to cook, don’t ever cook it on the stove top. You have to bake it. It’s the only way to get it to cook completely without turning to mush. It’s a tick I learned from watching Alton Brown and it has never failed me. Click here for his recipe. I know it’s tempting to just purchase those pre-made rice pouches, but they cost a fortune and the flavor and texture is no where near what you get when you cook it yourself. I know, I know, I said I hate turning the oven on in the summer, but I was in the mood for brown rice, so deal.

This was also a strategic move on my part as I have plans for my leftover rice and pork… stay tuned!