Pork Porterhouse Steak

"Pork Porterhouse Steak" .. One of my favorite "summertime" meals, Pork Chops on the grill is an easy and quick cook. Preparation, however, takes a bit of time.

A lot of people have issues with grilling pork .. mainly they are so afraid of"hyped" issues with the meat, that they literally overcook it so much that shoe leather gets jealous.

The first rule is to buy quality pork. No bargain bin people PLEASE! Next is to get a chop at least 1 inch thick. I usually ask my butcher to cut mine 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches thick.

Next step is to brine it! Yes I said brine it! No fooling .. with the advent of the "low fat" craze, most pork has been ruined in my opinion. That super flavor pork fat gives the meat is .. well the best flavor on earth. Now you can but from a independent farmer .. Which I do .. But I also know few people have that ability. So, to add flavor and increase tenderness and moisture .. brine it! My brine tonight consisted of Water, Red Wine Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Red Pepper Flake, Black Pepper, Garlic, Oregano, Basil and of course Kosher Salt. The rule of thumb in my quick brines is 1 hour in the refrigerator for every pound of meat.

The next step is to rinse the chops after removing them from the brine and patting them dry and letting them come to room temperature. Yep .. you again heard right. Make sure they are as close to ambient temperature as possible.

Next is to have your grill or cast iron pan screaming hot. Oil the surface well and place on surface without moving it for at least 3 minutes. On the grill, keep flare ups in control with squirt bottle of water. Spin the meat after 3 minutes to get those sexy cross marks on the meat and cook for another couple minutes. Flip then repeat.

The most valuable tool I have in my pork arsenal is my meat thermometer. Check the temperature in the thickest part of the meat without touching the bone and continue grilling until it reaches 140 to 145 degrees. Once it hits that number. Remove from heat and tent with foil. Wait at least 15 minutes and the pork chop will actually increase in temperature to 160 where most people feel safe eating it. We call that period "carry over" cooking.

Pork Chops and Porterhouse cuts are a delicious summertime treat. 

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Enjoy!