Sweet & Sour Glazed Smoked Pork Chops

 

I have always had a special fondness for smoked pork chops. Back in the 1980's my then husband had been making lawn furniture for the garden out of cedar wood.  I can remember one time he threw the scraps onto the BBQ when we were cooking some pork chops.  Best pork chops ever!  (Not that that is the same thing as actually smoking chops because it isn't.)

We also used to buy really delicious smoked pork chops at the 400 flea market in Southern Ontario at a Mennonite booth that sold a variety of meats, both fresh and smoked.  Best pork chops ever.

 

The recipe I am sharing with you today was adapted from a recipe I found on Pinterest, attributed to Recipe Tips.   It looked simple and quick to do. These days I am all about quick and simple.  Not that I am lazy, but you know  . . .  simple and quick is just what works best for me!

One thing about smoked Pork Chops is that they are usually already cooked through in the smoking process. Basically you are just heating them through.  That makes them ideal for quick and simple cooking!

 

One thing about this recipe which really appealed to me was the simple marinade, with sweet and sour flavors, and just a bit of heat from some red pepper flakes. 

Pork is a meat that adapts itself very well to sweet and sour flavors. 

The meat for this is marinated for half an hour, just long enough to inject some flavor and tenderness.  The marinade on the meat thickens and glazes the chops beautifully when you grill them. I do not have an outdoor grill, so I did them inside on my Cuisinart grill.  They came out beautifully tender, moist and delicious!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SWEET & SOUR GLAZED SMOKED PORK CHOPS

Very simple ingredients. There is nothing out of the ordinary here. 

• 2 TBS liquid honey
• 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• the juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 smoked pork chops

 

Use a good quality liquid honey. I use a Greek honey that I buy in the International section of groceries at my local grocery store.  I like it very much.  Don't use a cheap honey.  They are usually adulterated with corn syrup and other things.

Soft light brown sugar can be found in the baking aisle amongst the sugars.  In the U.K. I might be tempted to use light muscovado sugar for its fabulous molasses flavor. Unfortunately we cannot get that here in Canada.  I really miss it!

 

Use fresh lime juice. It will give you the nicest flavor.  The citrus juice helps to really tenderize the chops. I think you could also use lemon in a pinch if you do not have limes available and it would not change the flavor too much.

Smoked Pork Chops are pork chops that have been cut from the loin of the pig and have undergone a cold or a hot smoking process. They have a much deeper flavor than a regular chop and taste very similar to ham.

The chops I used came from my local Sobey's grocery store. Boneless loin chops, they were individually wrapped and came in a pack of three.

 

HOW TO MAKE SWEET & SOUR GLAZED SMOKED PORK CHOPS

These are really quite a simple make. Bear in mind you will need to marinate the chops for at least half an hour prior to cooking/grilling them!

Add the honey, brown sugar, oil and red pepper flakes to a small zip lock baggie along with the lime juice. Give it all a good squish to mix together.

Add the pork chops, seal tightly and give another squish. Place into the refrigerator to marinate for at least half an hour.

 

Preheat the grill to medium high, and lightly oil.  Remove the chops from the marinade, discarding any marinade in the bag.

Pop the chops onto the grill and grill for about 4 minutes on one side. Flip over and grill for an additional 3 minutes on the other side, grilling just long enough to heat through and create grill marks. Do not overcook.

Serve hot with your favorite sides.

NOTE - I sprinkled some minced spring onions on top for a garnish and to add some color. They went very well.

 

These chops turned out juicy and filled with flavor. Buy a good quality smoked chop and you can't go wrong.  The marinade was lovely and gave them a nice sweet and sour glaze, with just a tiny hint of heat from the pepper flakes.

I enjoyed these with some fluffy mash and an assortment of vegetables.  This made for a quick, easy and delicious meal, that felt and looked special but was really quite simple to do!!  If you don't have a grill, you can broil beneath a heated broiler/grill for about the same amount of time.

If you are fan of pork chops and are looking for delicious ways to prepare them, you might also enjoy the following recipes:

PORK CHOPS WITH CREAM GRAVY - One of my favorite ways to enjoy pork chops, either bone in or boneless.  This recipe produces deliciously tender pork chops with pepper gravy, a creamy pepper gravy.  The same type of cream gravy that you might enjoy on biscuits with sausage. The chops are perfectly cooked, well flavored and spiced.  The cream gravy is rich and the perfect accompaniment. Together they are excellent eating!

MAPLE GLAZED PORK CHOPS - These simple pan fried pork chops with their simple maple and mushroom sauce and glaze make  for a really quick and easy dinner recipe.  You begin by curing them with a simple brown sugar rub. With less than 30 minutes of cook-time, these glazed pork chops are tender, juicy and filled with flavor!

Yield: 2 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Sweet & Sour Glazed Smoked Pork Chop

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 38 Min

Marinate in a delicious sweet, sour and lightly spiced marinade for a short period of of time and then grill briefly for a delicious, tender moist chop that everyone will love. Sized for two but can easily be amped up to serve more.

Ingredients

• 2 TBS liquid honey
• 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• the juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 smoked pork chops

Instructions

1. Add the honey, brown sugar, oil and red pepper flakes to a small zip lock baggie along with the lime juice. Give it all a good squish to mix together.
2. Add the pork chops, seal tightly and give another squish. Place into the refrigerator to marinate for at least half an hour.
3. Preheat the grill to medium high, and lightly oil.
4. Remove the chops from the marinade, discarding any marinade in the bag.
5. Pop the chops onto the grill and grill for about 4 minutes on one side. Flip over and grill for an additional 3 minutes on the other side, grilling just long enough to heat through and create grill marks. Do not overcook.
6. Serve hot with your favorite sides.

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