Jalapeño Grilled Pork Chops

Jalapeño Grilled Pork Chops 

Juicy jalapeños offer discernible heat, but they have a higher purpose beyond that: They provide welcome freshness with their distinct vegetal flavor. When blitzed with aromatic cilantro stems and plenty of garlic, jalapeños transform into a punchy marinade that flavors and tenderizes pork chops gloriously, and tinges them a bright Reptar-Bar green, too. That brilliant color, evidence of the chlorophyll in the peppers and herbs, stays vibrant even after a fiery kiss on the grill.

Yield: 4 servings

FOR THE PORK CHOPS

5 large jalapeños, stemmed

5 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 bunch cilantro stems, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 packed cup)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

½ cup olive oil, plus more for cooking

1 tablespoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

8 thin-cut, bone-in pork loin chops (½-inch thick)

FOR THE RELISH

1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced into rings

1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings

⅓ cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish

Cilantro rice or cooked white rice, for serving (optional)

Make the pork chops: In a food processor, blitz the jalapeños, garlic, cilantro stems, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt and sugar until smooth. Place the pork chops in a large bowl or resealable container and pour the marinade over them; turn the chops to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

While the chops marinate, prepare a charcoal grill for direct high-heat cooking, or heat a gas grill to medium-high.

Make the relish: In a small bowl, toss the jalapeño, red onion, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside to quick-pickle until ready to serve, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Carefully grease the grill grate: Use tongs to grip a wadded paper towel dipped in oil and then rub the grates with the oiled towel. With the marinade clinging to them, place the pork chops on the hot greased grate. Grill until the chops are charred at the edges and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. The meat is ready to flip when it releases easily from the grates. (If using a gas grill, close the lid between flips.) Alternatively, cook the chops on the stovetop in batches. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, and heat until shimmering. Add the chops, with the marinade clinging to them, to the pan. Sear until browned and caramelized at the edges and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Discard any remaining marinade.

Serve the chops with the relish and cilantro on top. If you’d like, serve rice alongside.

TIP: Best pork chop recipe on NYT recipes! Did scrap seeds from a few jalapenos but after cooking this, there is no need. Marinated for 7 hours. Relish is absolutely essential to this and just crazy good. Suggest fixing relish several hours ahead and refrigerating. Grilling thin chops is notorious for typically tuff meat. Not here. Used 1/2" as suggested but next time will probably up the chops to 3/4, but that's not a given. Fixed cilantro rice recipe also. Fabulous meal! Thanks Mr. Kim

I loved this recipe! The cilantro rice was addictive, with the juice of 5 limes, rather than what the recipe called for. With all the jalapenos, one would think the chops would be wildly spicy, but it was flavorful with practically no heat. (Not that I don't love heat!) The relish was refreshing and superb!

Despite the thinness of the chops, they were tender and far from dry. Another bonus--speedy cooking time!

Peruvian Roasted Chicken With Spicy Cilantro Sauce

Peruvian Roasted Chicken With Spicy Cilantro Sauce

Burnished-skinned, deeply flavored and more than just a little spicy, it’s no wonder that Peruvian chicken has become something of an obsession here in the United States. There are dozens of way to make this dish, but most recipes call for two different kinds of Peruvian chile pastes — aji amarillo and aji panca — to add the necessary complexity and heat. You can find them at South American markets and online. But in a pinch, you can substitute a red chile paste (like sriracha or sambal) for the aji amarillo, and ground pasilla chile powder for the aji panca. The flavors won’t be traditional, but the chicken will still be tasty — especially when slathered with the irresistibly creamy, spicy cilantro sauce that goes alongside.

Yield: 4 servings

For the Chicken

6 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste or another chile paste such as sriracha or sambal

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon aji panca paste or 1 teaspoon pasilla chile powder

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 (3½- to 4½-pound) chicken, halved (see Note) or 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts

Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

For the Sauce

1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems

3 to 4 jalapeños, seeded and diced

¼ cup/1 ounce crumbled feta cheese

1 garlic clove, chopped

1½ tablespoons lime juice, more to taste

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or basil

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ tablespoon aji amarillo or other chile paste (see headnote)

½ teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Lime wedges, for garnish

For the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, soy sauce, aji amarillo paste, lime juice, aji panca paste, mustard, cumin, pepper and salt.

Add chicken halves, turning to coat them all over with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil.

Roast until skin is golden and chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes (if using chicken parts, remove the breasts after 25 to 35 minutes). Remove from oven and let sit, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before serving.

While chicken is roasting, make the sauce. In a blender, blend cilantro, jalapeños, feta, garlic, lime juice, oregano, salt, mustard, aji amarillo paste, honey, and cumin until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in oil until mixture is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt or lime juice or both.

Carve the chicken and serve with the sauce and lime wedges on the side.

Tip

To cut a chicken in half, use a sturdy pair of poultry shears to cut lengthwise through the breastbone. Turn over and cut again, along the backbone. If desired, cut along the other side of the backbone and remove it.

If you measure oil in the half teaspoon first, then the honey, the honey will slide right out of the teaspoon.

I made this for four chickens for a pot luck tonight. I separated each into breast/thigh/drum/wing before marinating cooking. Wasn't too fastidious either about patting off the marinade and also had a few less jalapenos than called for and subbed dry basil for fresh. Results were spectacular. Absolutely spectacular. And did I mention spectacular?

Used sriracha and chilli powder to replace the aji Amarion paste and aji panca paste. Other than that, followed the recipe as it is. The chicken tasted fantastic, Very moist and well seasoned. Made the sauce Saturday night and thought it tasted mediocre. Sunday night took the sauce out, a miracle must have occurred overnight, it tasted brilliant- super creamy and full of flavor. But will cut the ingredients in half to make the sauce. The recipe yields about 4 cups sauce, too much for a 3.5 bird