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Jalapeño-Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

Dish with grilled pork rib chops and jalapeños topped with thinly sliced white onion
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Amy Wilson, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou

This year, we're flipping the script and marinating after grilling. Inspired by the technique called escabèche, where cooked fish and meat are preserved in an acidic mixture, we're cooking first, marinating second—in this case, in a coriander-spiked vinaigrette. Don't be intimidated by the slices of jalapeños: The fire of the grill mellows their heat. If you're a real spice-seeker, you can even leave some of them raw.

Ingredients

4 servings

1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for grill
4 bone-in pork rib chops (about 10 oz. each)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
2 large jalapeños
1/4 medium white onion, very thinly sliced
  1. Step 1

    Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; lightly oil grate. Pat pork chops dry and season generously all over with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, toast coriander seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to a cutting board and let cool. Using a flat-bottomed mug or a heavy skillet, lightly crush. Place in a small bowl and add vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 cup oil. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set marinade aside.

    Step 3

    Toss jalapeños and 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl to coat; season with salt and pepper. Pat pork chops dry again (the salt will have drawn out more moisture) and rub with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil. Grill jalapeños, turning often, until softened and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Grill pork chops, turning every 2 minutes or so, until cooked through but still medium-rare closest to the bone (an instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should register 145°F), 8–12 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 10–15 minutes.

    Step 4

    Cut pork along the bone to remove meat in one piece; slice 1/2" thick and transfer to a rimmed platter. Slice jalapeños crosswise into rounds and scatter over pork. Pour reserved marinade over and let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving. To serve, scatter onion over.

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  • I really wanted this to be more flavorable. I love the idea of marinating after grilling. But the marinade lacks something, lacks depth. If anyone has any recommendations for additions to the marinade, I'd love to hear them.

    • barbarasnuffles

    • San Francisco

    • 4/2/2021

  • This wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.... perhaps it was my own fault. I cooked it under the broiler instead of using the grill. The chops were tough and dry. he marinade wasn’t as flavorful as I would have imagined.

    • Anonymous

    • SEattle

    • 1/30/2021

  • Tender, juicy, delicious! I recommend removing the seeds and membrane from the jalapeños if you want to tame the heat but we enjoyed the kick. It’s a great recipe for BBQ weather!

    • CCG

    • Henderson, NV

    • 3/29/2020

  • We made this last weekend and it totally exceeded our expectations. It was simple to prepare, and it was delicious! We had some leftover that we used in soft tacos with sweet grilled peppers and onions that we soaked in the marinade before grilling. Yum! This is going in our regular rotation for summer grilling.

    • tcjacoby

    • California

    • 8/2/2019

    • Mathan

    • 10/21/2022

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