Lime Honey Pork Chops

There are a lot of ways that I like to cook pork chops and pork steaks, but my favorite is to use some sort of citrus juice as a marinade and then grill them.  Using citrus combined with a lighter meat like pork is great, because you don’t have to marinade very long to get good results.  This recipe fits right in with that ideal, and is both easy and quick – assuming you’ve planned ahead enough to have the pork chops thawed out ahead of time.

Gather Up:

• 3~5 pork chops from a pastured hog (about 1-1/2 to 2 lbs)
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lime (about 2-1/2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp low-sodium Tamari
• 1 tsp local raw honey
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Start heating the grill to ~400 degrees.  Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small prep bowl, then coat the pork chops in a deep plate (or shallow bowl) so both sides are covered (you could also use a plastic bag if you like).  Set aside while the grill warms up.

Grill the pork chops until just cooked through – about 20 to 25 minutes on an indirect-heat grill, or about 16 minutes on a direct-heat grill.  Set a timer for 10 minutes, then check things (turn if desired) and re-set the timer to check again for when it should be about done.  In the meantime, you can be working on your side dishes so that everything is done shortly after the chops come off the grill.  When the chops are finished, bring in and let rest for about 5 minutes for the juices to set, then cut up and serve.  Nothing to it!