ROSEMARY BRINED AND GRILLED PORKCHOP

Went to another cooking class at the Co-op. It was another class given by Dio. This was an International Grilling Class. Like I said Dio is a master of the barbecue. This is one of the recipes that was really good and versatile.
6 double cut porkchops at least 11/2 to 2 inches thick.
1/3 C sea salt
1/3 C brown sugar
3 C boiling water
3 whole cloves of garlic crushed
1/4 C picked fresh rosemary leaves
2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 Tbs yellow mustard seeds
1 Tbs black peppercorns
Dissolve salt and brown sugar in hot water. Lightly crush the spices and add to the brine along with the garlic. Submerge chops in the brine and refrigerate for 4-6 hours (if chops are not completely submerged turn the chops over to soak the evenly.

Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Remove the chops from the brine and allow to com to room temperature. Brush chops with a bit of safflower oil and grill 8-10 min. per side to attain a medium to medium well done (155 degree internal temp) . You can either slice the chops or serve them whole.

For a variation instead of the rosemary add one split and scraped vanilla bean. It gives a nice vanilla background flavor that goes will with the pork or chicken. You can also use either brine for chicken.

Here is a Spiced Fruit Chutney that goes well with the pork and also with chicken.
2-3lbs fruit of your choice cut into 1 inch cubes
2C yellow onion, large dice
1-2 serrano or jalepeno finely chopped
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C white or apple cider vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
1 tsp salt.
In a large non-reactive sauce pan combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until chutney resembles a thick preserve. Adjust seasonings (salt, sugar or vinegar to your liking) and cool. Will keep 3-4 weeks in an air tight jar in the refrigerator.

We made this with mangoes in class but any kind of fruit or combination fruit would work.

Hope you like this as much as I did.

_Eileen_