Maple-Chipotle Barbecued Pork Chops

Yesterday I perused my Nordstrom cookbook for a quick and easy recipe for dinner and found this one for barbecued pork chops. I had never done pork chops on the grill before so I decided to give it a try. Delicious. The barbecue sauce was flavorful and tasty and the pork chops came out tender. My husband and I loved the combination of flavors from the sweet maple syrup and the smoky chipotle chiles. This meal was a great variation from the traditional barbecued chicken or steak. I will definitely be making this again for friends and family.

Maple-Chipotle Barbecued Pork Chops

taken from Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook

serves 4

4 double-bone center-cut loin pork chops, about 2 ½ inches thick*

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 cup Homemade Barbecue Sauce*

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp finely minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

Vegetable oil for brushing

Rub the pork chops with the garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Wrap the exposed bones tightly with foil to keep them from charring on the grill. Set aside. *I used regular, bone-in pork chops because that is what I had on hand. You definitely want thick chops versus the really thin ones.

Prepare a medium-low fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill on medium-low.

While the grill is preheating, place the cumin in a small saucepan over low heat. Toast the cumin stirring constantly, to release its fragrance, about 1 minute. Add the barbecue sauce, maple syrup, and chiles and cook, stirring frequently, until hot, bubbly, and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. *The recipe calls for a Homemade Barbecue Sauce from the same cookbook. I opted for a short cut and used a bottled barbecue sauce. However, if you’d like Nordstrom’s recipe for homemade barbecue sauce I’d be happy to pass it along.

Brush the grill grate with vegetable oil. Place the chops directly over the fire. Cover the grill and cook chops on one side for 10-12 minutes. Turn the chops, cover again and cook until the juices run clear and no pink remains when tested with a knife, or an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F, 10-12 minutes longer. Brush the pork with the barbecue sauce during the last 1-2 minutes of grilling. Serve immediately.