Perfect Grill Marks? Maybe NOT! More Wine, Pls!!

Tonite's GrillWorx: Beautiful, thick cut Pork Chops, trimmed of excess fat and marinated in
Ginger People Spicy Ginger Teriyaki Marinade. Fresh white Corn on the Cob, grilled in the husk... so delicious and sweet using butter or salt would be a crime! And Brussels Sprouts, halved, tossed in EVOO and seasoned with S&P and a bit of Garlic!


Behind the scenes at GrillWorx:


Vacation! Yay! Being on vacation in my world usually means being somewhere other than home, but still working. Well, not so much work today, as I decided to start a blog. But it still meant that I was away from home. Yes, I was far, far from home, at least for the better part of the day, in beautiful, exotic Texarkana, Texas. (The teenager had Robotics camp at the University there.) So driving that immense 60 mile distance really wiped me out! Okay... maybe not so much the distance as much as being a captive audience in the car for three hormonal, albeit precocious, teens all trying to best one another with their wit and senses of humour. Consequently tonite’s GrillWorx needed to be something quick and easy!

So little pork chops… thick cut, trimmed of excess fat… and marinated in
Ginger People Spicy Ginger Teriyaki Marinade. Yummy! While the chops were marinating, the veggies went on the grill. Can’t have a meal this time of year without beautiful White Corn on the Cob! Fresh, sweet and delicious, I stripped back the husks and cleaned it of its silk, washed it and wrapped it tenderly back in its husks to stay juicy on the grill! Also, Brussels Sprouts, rinsed and halved, tossed in a tablespoon of EVOO, with a touch of Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper, and Garlic…just a touch. These were steamed on the grill in a foil pouch. For steaming veggies on the grill, I usually toss a few ice cubes in with them to help them steam perfectly. Why ice cubes? Just to facilitate the packing process! Water does not like to be confined with Brussels Sprouts apparently, and it makes every effort to escape. Ice stays put. At least while your sealing up the foil pouch!

So after the veggies had been on the grill for a while (Corn first… then Brussels Sprouts!) it was time for the Pork Chops! Going for Perfect Grill Marks (PGM), a la Alton Brown! Alton Brown is one of my culinary idols, ranking right up there with Anthony Bourdain. Alton Brown says to make the PGM, the grill should be on medium high. Pork Chops go on the grill, and two or three minutes later they are turned a half turn (not over!)… just to get those beautiful cross-hatch grill marks. Yep. The PGM. Two or three minutes later, the Pork Chops are flipped… and two to three minutes later turned a half turn again. O yeah... and a little bit of Sausage for the teen... left overs will make a nice addition for a quick breakfast in the morning as we are racing out the door to Robotics Camp!! ;-}



SO here's the problem! Sometimes the marinade you use carmelizes... and can even burn. For me, it's tough to get the Pork Chops cooked through and NOT burn the delicate coating of marinade that remains on the meat. Of course, that's probably because I focus more on drinking wine and not so much on monitoring my grill marks! (*blushing!*)

Ah well! Cheers! So much for PGM!


Tonite's wine selection was just like me... cheap and sweet!!! (A light sweet red was a nice complement to the sweet corn and spicy-sweet teriyaki!)

So what'd I cook tonite that I dislike? No Brussels Sprouts for me, thanx! ;-}