Grilled Thick Cut Pork Chop with Balsamic Reduced Onions

Last night it was hard to cook this meal because I was torn between eating what is good for me and what is bad for me. We had pork chops planned for this week, but Caroline wanted stromboli from Guppy’s Tavern instead, which is just plain delicious. I am trying to be more healthy and made the hard decision to make the dinner that was planned come hell or high water. When I picked up her stromboli from the restaurant, my plan was almost shot. The smell of the stromboli was intoxicating in the car for the drive home. Pork chops, I kept thinking, pork chops. After the fact, I am glad to have made the chops. They turned out really well, perfectly cooked and seasoned.

To make this meal a little more appealing, I thought that some reduced onions would be good. Then I thought that some balsamic reduced onions would be even better. I had a fresh zucchini from the farm stand staring me in the face, so I thought that would go well with the whole dish. A little balsamic on it would pair it well with the onion. With a plan formed, it was time to execute.

Remember that you really do need to let your meat proteins sit on the counter to come to room temperature so they cook all the way through, particularly if there is a bone in them. I can’t tell you how many times I have rushed this step and found that the meat around the bone was raw. It’s always a huge disappointment to have to put the uncooked portion of a dinner into the microwave to finish it off. I season the meat while it is coming to room temp which imparts good flavor as well.

Makes 2 thick cut chops and fixings

Ingredients:

2 thick cut, bone in pork chops

1 red onion, peeled and sliced crosswise very thin

1 zucchini, washed and sliced lengthwise into 4 slices

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Salt & Pepper

Fresh thyme leaves for garnish

Brush the zucchini on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle a sparse amount of balsamic vinegar on the zucchini. Set aside. Take the meat out of the fridge, rinse and pat dry. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Coat with a light dusting of salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder on both sides. Allow to come to room temperature. Turn on the grill to high heat. When the grill is hot, add the chops and zucchini. Grill each side about 4 minutes, turning at the 2 minute mark. When the pork is cooked, allow to sit for 5 minutes before eating to let the meat rest.

For the reduced onions, add 2 tbsp olive oil to a pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced onion. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Mix and cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes. Add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, stir constantly for 1 minute. When absorbed, remove onions from heat.

Serve the pork chop over the sliced zucchini with reduced onions on top. Garnish with some thyme leaves.

You’re gonna love this pork chop. I enjoyed it with a glass of Michael Cosentino’s “The Zin.” It was pretty darn good.

Succulent pork chops with reduced onions and grilled zucchini. Photo by Scott Groth