Recipes

Grilled Maple-Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops

This glaze is packed with decadent flavor and especially delicious on pork and chicken. Keep a mason jar of the glaze in your fridge at all times and you’ll have a scrumptious grilled meal ready in minutes. These might be the most luscious, tender and beautiful pork chops you’ve ever made!

Yields: 4

PORK CHOPS

4 cups water, at room temperature

1/4 cup Kosher salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 bay leaves

4 thick-cut pork chops (at least 1 1/2-inches thick)

GLAZE

1 cup Bourbon 

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

4 tablespoons honey

3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, peeled

Directions:

Combine the water, salt, brown sugar, pepper, garlic cloves, vanilla, and bay leaves in a large sealable container. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Add the pork chops to the brine and refrigerate. Allow the pork chops to sit in the brine for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours for ultimate tenderness. (Brining longer than 12 hours will change the texture of the meat.)

To make the glaze, combine the bourbon, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a small sauce pot. Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the glaze is thick and caramelized, about 20 minutes.

When ready to grill, remove the pork chops from the brine and pat them dry.  Brush both sides of the chops with olive oil and grill until cooked through; Cook the chops to 140 degrees, then let them rest to carry them to 145 degrees, the perfect rosy medium doneness. During the last 5 minutes of grilling, brush the chops with the glaze.

Serve the pork chops with extra glaze, for dipping.

Jamie Gwen is a CIA Grad, Celebrity Chef, Certified Sommelier, Lifestyle Expert and four-time Cookbook Author who can be seen stirring up something delicious on television, on the radio and in print from coast-to-coast. She brings the best to radio with her weekly syndicated radio show heard every Sunday on radio stations across the country and in SoCal on Talk Radio 790 KABC. Jamie can be seen on KTLA Channel 5, on HSN and on national television news shows sharing her seasonal lifestyle approach and her passion for food. Her recipes are featured on chefjamie.com and on Microsoft’s worldwide Food & Drink App. Jamie’s most recent cookbook, co-authored by Lana Sills and entitled Good Food For Good Times 2, is now available as an eBook and has been featured on The Talk, Emeril Live and Martha Stewart.