Yes, you’re reading the date on this post right: January 28. I’d been meaning to make the Mario Batali Pork Chops Dine-O-Mite blogged about for months, and figured that, with pork in the freezer, now was as good a time as any.
They turned out really well:
The recipe calls for peaches, but we had oranges on hand. I also cut the brining down to 3 hours and used pork loin. The accompaniment is black beans and tomatoes (both from cans) sauteed in olive oil with onions, garlic and thyme over a wild rice mix.
While supermarket balsamic vinegar would probably work for this recipe, the 12+ year aged stuff (which is a lot sweeter) really shines. I drizzled it on everything on the plate. We got ours from Zingerman’s and never use it, so I figured I’d make some dishes to pair it with.
I used a smoker pouch with cherry wood chips on a gas grill. It heated up just fine in the 27 degree weather, but I had to shovel a path to get to it. Everything, especially the orange, was thoroughly smoked. Even Jonathan was struck by its smoky flavor. And, as with everything else on the plate, the orange was seasoned with olive oil, course salt and pepper.
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