Happier Than a Pig in.... Barbecue Apple Relish?

Kids, I don't like to brag. At all. But I'm going to do it today because I made up a pretty frakkin' amazing recipe and I'm ridiculously proud of it. 

This week's CSA challenge ingredients were pork chops and apples. Now usually that means something like a baked pork chop with a cinnamon apple glaze. But this week, when it is still 80 degrees outside, it still seemed too summery for such a fall-y dish. 

So I challenged myself to come up with a summer twist... with pork and apple goodies I could eat on the back porch with iced tea. I succeeded.  The result - a grilled pork chop with barbecue apple relish. It was ah-maze-ing.

Oh hey there apple face. You're pretty.

Grilled Barbecue Apple Dapple Pork Chops 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 cups boiling water 
• 3 cups ice cubes
• 2 boneless pork loin chops 
• 1/2 medium-size sweet onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pinch ground ginger
• 3 (ish) Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 (ish) Tbsp sage
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 2  apples
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 
  
• HOW IT WORKS
• 
  
• First things first, I've often found that as tasty as they may be, grilled pork chops tend to come out somewhat dry. So I started out by brining them to help them hold in some juicy goodness. Because this was a regular old weeknight, I didn't have all day and all night to do a traditional brine, so I tried out Southern Living's 30 minute brine. I was skeptical (I shouldn't have been) and moderately concerned the ice and the boiling water will cause my pork to erupt in a thunderstorm. Maybe I should have paid more attention to Mr. Wizard as a child. (Side note: does anyone else remember the "stand in the door frame and press your arms against the frame for 20secs, let go, and watch your arms raise" episode of Mr. Wizard? It was and is probably the coolest thing ever.)

My pork chops are floating around in a bowl of ice. 
Does that seem right to you?

Anyway, to do this quick and easy brine bath combine 1/2 cup of the molasses and 1/4 cup Kosher salt in a big bowl; add boiling water, stirring until the salt dissolves. Stir in ice cube and toss in the pork chops. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

While the pork is at the brine spa, start working on the delicious relish.  Chop the onion into little dicey bits and sauté it in hot oil in over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Once it gets good and tender (or as was the case in my kitchen, once you get done head banging to the ridiculous 80s rock that came on the radio,  add in about 2 Tbsp of the cinnamon, the garlic and ginger, cloves, ketchup, apple butter, the other 1/2 cup of molasses, apple cider vinegar and chopped up apples. At this point, you'll have to stop head banging, because you need to stir constantly, for about five minutes until the gorey looking mixtures starts to bubble.

If it looks you're an evil witch stirring a saucepan full of gore,
you're doing it right.

Once your cauldron of gore starts bubbling, reduce the heat down to low and simmer 30ish minutes or until the sauce thickens up.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, remove the pork from the brine spa and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt, pepper, sage and the remaining cinnamon.

Grill pork on medium high heat 5 to 6 minutes on each side.

"It's not day for wor-ork, it's a day for catching tan. 
Just lying on the grill and having fun..."

Serve topped with the barbecue apple relish. Watch as your spouse and dog go nuts over its deliciousness.

Omnomnomnomnom.

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