Lemon Pepper Pork Chops

Recipes posted a year ago:

• Orange Ginger Marinated Pork “Ribs”
• Onion & Bacon Grilled Turkey Breast
• Hungarian Goulash

The other night, I was looking for a quick weeknight recipe to take advantage of the warmer weather we are finally starting to experience here in the Pacific Northwest.  Rather than fall back on the standby of using a pre-mixed herb blend from the spice drawer, I decided to try something using fresh ingredients instead.  The resulting lemon pepper marinade was great with pork chops, and would be equally tasty with chicken or fresh shrimp and scallops.

Gather Up:

• 3 medium bone-in pork chops – about 1-1/2 lbs
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Combine everything (but the meat) in a small prep bowl.  Whisk to combine fully – it should be a little thick with all that lemon zest in there.

Spread the mixture all over the meat.  Cover with foil or plastic wrap and get the grill warming up to medium-high heat (about 350 to 400 degrees, indirect).  You can also bake these if using chicken or pork (or sauté if using shrimp).

Once the grill is warmed up, cook the chops for about 25 minutes, turning once, or until they just read 145 degrees with a quick-read thermometer.  If you’re using chicken, let it go to about 160 degrees, and for shrimp you just want them to be hot and opaque the whole way through (only about five to ten minutes).  Let them rest for a few minutes tented with foil, then serve.