Smoke and maple sweetness both go so well with pork and I love how they are combined in McCormicks Smokehouse Maple seasoning. These king’s cut pork loin chops are moist and so delicious. Best of all they are super inexpensive, fast and easy to prepare.
Gas grills are super convenient, but they have their challenges as well. I really like to keep mine clean, and if you are not careful, you can get some flare-ups that will potentially ruin your meal. There is a new breed of copper grill mats that aim to solve this problem.
They’re super-thin, flexible sheets of heat-resistant material woven with copper threads and covered in a nonstick coating.
They’re big enough to allow foods to really spread out and they keep oils and marinades from dripping through, so there are no flare-ups. Plus, since the copper conducts heat, you get those all-important grill marks and browning. I decided to try one of these mats out while grilling some pork loin chops.
I prefer what is called a king’s cut pork loin chop. These extra thick chops are meaty and retain their moist well, you just need to cook them a little lower so the heat can penetrate to the center. I use the smokehouse maple seasoning for grilling and sous vide. I usually apply it just a bit before cooking. Since these pork chops will be grilled, I let them warm up a bit coming up about 20 ºF more from the refrigerator temp of 37 ºF.
One note of caution about these grill mats is that they will get scorched if exposed to high heat or flames so I use them mostly for veggies, fish and meats suitable for cooking at a lower temperature. So if you have something you need to put a solid sear on first, I would skip these cooking mats.
- 2 lbs. pork loin chops king’s cut
- 2 tbls. McCormick GrillMate Smokehouse Maple seasoning
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2 lbs. pork loin chops (king’s cut)
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2 tbls. McCormick GrillMate Smokehouse Maple seasoning
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Instructions
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Remove the pork chops from the package and place on a suitable platter/dish.
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Season liberally with smokehouse maple seasoning.
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Cover and let the pork loin chops come up in temperature about 20 ºF. Don’t leave them to warm up too much from a food safety perspective.
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Clean a prepare the grill at a medium heat. Use grill mats if you wish.
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Cook pork loin chops on one side till they reach an internal temp of about 130 ºF and then flip them so complete cooking through on the other side.
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When the pork loin chops reach an internal temp of 165 ºF they are done and should be removed.
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You can tent them with aluminum foil for 5-10 minutes while you organize and plate your side dishes.
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Usually served with a sides including veggies, greens and starch.
Wine and Beer Pairing:
Wine pairings recommendations with these pork loin chops include: Chianti, Beaujolais, Chardonnay and Chennin Blanc with the last two being my strongest recommendation. In regards to beer pairings, A good, sturdy stout or a nice malty, sweet German wheat beer such as hefeweizen also stands up well next to a grilled pork tenderloin or chop. Also, Belgian Bière de Garde, a “farmhouse” ale, has spicy, peppery and herbal notes that blend with pork that is not covered with barbecue sauce.
Cost:
I get 6-7 Kings Cut pork loin chops when I buy 2 lbs. This comes out to about $1.00 a serving. You cannot beat that for value unless you go vegetarian, and even then, only sometimes.
Time and Effort:
This is a fast as easy dish suitable for a weeknight. I season and warm up the pork chops as I get things organized as start on the side dishes. Part way through cooking the sides, I get the grill going and start cooking the pork chops. As I complete the side dishes, the pork chops are ready and I set them aside, tented, to rest. I then set the table, plate the sides, and add the pork chops. Viola, 30-40 minutes later we have a complete meal and are seated for dinner.
Alex Approved:
These pork chops are Alex Approved, but I find it strange that he is not the biggest fan of the smokehouse maple seasoning. I find other kids do like it. So Alex sometimes adds some BBQ sauce to his plate for dipping his pork bites before eating.
Leftovers:
I tend to make more than we need for dinner because these are great to pull from the fridge for a quick meal along with some leftover side dishes.
Health:
This is pretty healthy meal but if you are on a heart healthy diet it, it does consume your daily allowance for saturate fat and over half your allowance for dietary cholesterol. Good news is no sugars, no carbs, no gluten and pretty low calories.