Grilled Blackened Pork Chops

I certainly think that meat and especially grilled meat seems to be the thing I like to eat and cook the most. Above is a picture of a big plate of grilled pork chops. They were amazing and my hubby and I, who are huge carnivores, rolled up our sleeves and chewed the meat off of the bone. Vegans would not like my house very much, I'm afraid. Due to my meat obsession, making the transition to eating Paleo was not that difficult. Now don't get me wrong, I love pasta and bread. However, as I am learning, they are not so good for me. I decided to give the paleo a shot. It should be said that I don't eat meat from any place except Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Only hormone free, humanely treated/killed, and happy animals make their appearance on my plate.

Recipe for Grilled Pork Chops

Four bone-in center cut pork chops (less than one inch thick)*
Blackening seasoning**
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of lemon or lime

*rub vigorously with spice mixture and let sit for two hours (overnight if possible)
**see recipe below

Rub your chops with a generous amount of rub. Drizzle with olive oil. Set up grill with coals on one side. When the fire is ready (coals should be slightly ashy), place pork chops on hot side of grill. You really want the fat around the edges to get charred. Once nice and charred (3 minutes per side) move chops over to the cooler side of grill and cover. Using an instant read thermometer, pork chops should be cooked to like 140 (it is okay if they are slightly pink). When you touch them, they should have a little give, but not be too hard. Once finished, let sit for 5 minutes and drizzle with lemon or lime.

Blackening Spice (wonderful on all meats)

Years ago, a chef at the Radisson taught me how to make this rub. He could make a mean prime rib. It is really an eye ball kind of thing. He taught me how to make it on a plate. You don't need to know exact measurements, I don't think. This recipe makes a lot. You can store this in the freezer or in a tupperware in your spice drawer.

The base of this rub is paprika. You want half of your plate to be paprika. Then you add equal parts garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, pepper and salt (on the other side of the plate). You would then add cayenne. This spice is hot and you want to use it carefully. Taste as you go. It should be spicy, salty, and flavorful.

Sunday at the Beach

Yesterday, we went to the South Blvd Beach. It is only 5 minutes from our house. It is so nice to go there, but I never, I repeat, NEVER get into the lake. Lake Michigan is too cold for this southern girl. We came home and I grilled organic Chicken Drummettes from Whole Foods. I put salt and pepper on them and coated them with leftover Chimichurri sauce that we had the night before. They were wonderful. We both ate about eight of them. I served it with a sliced tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad. Perfect paleo dinner.

Recipe for Chimichurri (great with grilled meat).

-Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce that is often served with grilled meat

Good handful of each: fresh parsley, oregano, and mint.
Two cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive oil (until loose, between 1/4 and 1/2 cup)
Splash of red wine vinegar or juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

Place herbs, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor. Pulse several times to break things up. Then slowly stream in EVOO until the sauce is loose. Then add a splash of acid. Taste and add salt and pepper as preferred. It is wonderful on vegetables or grilled meats.