Here’s a quick recipe for delicious grilled chops marinated and dressed with a twist on the traditional chimichurri sauce. This is actually the Argentine version of pesto. It incorporates all that fresh mint in the garden, and at the farm stands.
The recipe comes from grill master Steven Raichlen. It calls for pork chops, but I also think it would be fantastic with lamb chops as well. The marinating time can be as little as 30 minutes so it is a quick really flavorful way to grill up some chops before the cold weather sets in and the mint in the garden has vanished.
I found it is also delicious as a salad dressing so you might want to double the recipe.
Here’s the recipe…
Grilled Pork Chops with Mint Chimichurri (adapted fromSteven Raichlen)
(serves 4, if larger chops serves 2)
Ingredients
4 pork chops, 1 and ½ inch thick, about 6-7 oz. each
Mint Chimichurri:
1 cup fresh mint leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled (I used a bit more garlic)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-4 tablespoons water (I used 2)
Cooking Directions:
To prepare chimichurri, place the mint, garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil in bowl of food processor; pulse until smooth. Add enough water for a pourable consistency.
Reserve half of chimichurri, cover and refrigerate. Place chops in a large plastic bag, add remaining chimichurri, seal bag and toss to coat chops Place chops in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
Prepare a medium-hot fire in grill. Remove chops from marinade, discard marinade. Grill over direct heat for a total of about 12-16 minutes, turning once, until internal temperature when measured with an instant-read thermometer is 145 degrees F, followed by a 3-minute rest time.
Serve chops garnished with mint and reserved chimichurri on the side.
Note: the U.S. Dept of Agriculture guielines:
Pork can be safely cooked to medium rare at a final internal temperature of 145 degrees F. as measured by a food thermometer, followed by a 3-minute rest time. Ground pork, like all ground meats, should be cooked to 160 degrees F.