For this recipe I take a pack of boring, family style pork chops – yeah the cheap, thin cut pack – and turn them into delicious, Jerk Pork Chops. Jerk Pork Chops Ingredients 1 pack thin cut, bone in pork chops - family pack Malcom’s Jammin’ Jerk Seasoning Jammin' Jerk Marinade: 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4-5 limes) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 Tablespoons Malcom’s Jammin’ Jerk Seasoning 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 3-4 green onions white part only thinly sliced 1-2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers finely chopped Jammin' Jerk Sauce: 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup ketchup juice of 2 limes 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 Tablespoon butter 1 Tablespoon Malcom’s Jammin’ Jerk Seasoning 3 cloves garlic minced 3 green onions thinly sliced 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper finely chopped (more or less for desired heat level) Directions Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a medium size bowl. Arrange the chops in a shallow pan and cover with marinade. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Prepare the jerk sauce: In a small pot melt butter and sauté garlic, green onion, and pepper for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, Jammin’ Jerk seasoning, ketchup, pineapple and lime juice. Stir to combine and bring to a slight simmer. Remove from heat and pour in a jar. Prepare charcoal grill for indirect cooking - 2 zone fire. I used a Santa Maria attachment on the weber but you can cook this recipe on any grill with 2 zone set up. Remove the chops from the jerk marinade and season lightly with Jammin’ Jerk seasoning on all sides. Place the chops on the cooking grate over the direct side of the coals. Cook the chops for a few minutes on each side flipping often until browned. Raise the Santa Maria grate or move the chops to the indirect side of the grill and brush with Jerk sauce. Continue cooking and flipping the chops until the sauce caramelizes on all sides. Total cook time is about 12-14 minutes. Thin-cut chops are perfect for jerk style cooking. Fresh flavors from spicy scotch bonnet peppers, All spice, onion, citrus, and dark brown sugar coat the meat. As it cooks over hot coals, the outside begins to char and the jerk flavors develop. It’s the simplest form of grilling; all you need is a basic grill and hot coals. Traditionally pimento wood is burned down but you can substitute just about any wood or charcoal. First the chops are smothered with a jerk marinade made with fresh squeezed lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, Jerk Seasoning, dark brown sugar, green onion and scotch bonnet peppers. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Go ahead and make the finishing jerk sauce while the chops are in the fridge. Place a couple Tablespoons of butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic, thinly sliced green onion (the white parts), and finely chopped scotch bonnet pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Pour in pineapple juice, ketchup, lime juice, and Jammin’ Jerk Seasoning and bring to a slight simmer. Pour the sauce into a jar and reserve. To cook the jerk chops I fired up my Weber grill using Royal Oak lump charcoal topped with a couple splits of Post Oak. For indirect cooking I set my Santa Maria attachment (from Gabby Grills) on top of the weber. Remove the chops from the marinade and season both sides with a little more Jammin’ Jerk. Place the chops close to the coals for the first few minutes. Keep a close eye on them and turn often. Once they start to brown on both sides, move the chops away from the heat and brush with Jerk Sauce. Continue to grill, flipping often until the chops start to char and the sauce caramelizes. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions tops and serve with an ice cold Red stripe! These chops will have you Jammin’ to the island vibes right at home! -Malcom Reed
