Texas Two-Step Porkchops with Cola BBQ

For the past few days, I have been wanting to grill. No idea why.. However, I tend to avoid going outside in the cold weather... Thus keeping me from grilling. We recently got a new grill (pictured below) and I haven't really got to use it a whole lot.! We used to have just a regular gas grill, and a little smoker(we used that more than the gas grill). One day Dad came home with a brand new grill with BOTH! I was amazed :) haha. This was really my first time usiung the smoker part...I LOVE IT! But anyways, I decided I was going to make use of the Center cut pork loin we purchased at the store a couple days before...
Monday morning, I woke up and started concocting a marinade and this is what I came up with...


Texas Two-Step marinade
1/2 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Apple Sauce
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablesoon Worchestershire
2 cloves Garlic, minced
a few dashes of hot sauce (more if you like it with more of a kick)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon accent

Mix all of the ingredients together in a pan big enough for your pork loin to fit in (mine was approx. 4.5 pounds). Place your Center cut pork loin in the marinade and coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 7-10 hours. rotating every 2 hours.

Next, I wanted to make homemade BBQ sauce...Yet another first.! So I flipped through our handy dandy Weber's Real Grilling Cookbook, and picked one out... I chose a Cola BBQ sauce, but of course I didn't follow the recipe word for word, ingredient for ingredient...I rarely EVER do.

Cola BBQ Sauce
1 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup cola (I used Diet Coke because it's what we had)
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke (a little goes a long way folks)
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
2 teaspoons Black Strap Molasses
1/2 cup sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm oil. Add the garlic, chile powder, and cumin. Cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients, whisking them occasionally, cook for 20 minutes... Pour BBQ sauce into a container and refrigerate until ready for use.

The grilling process....I basically, just put the marinated Center cut pork loin on the Charcoal Smoker side of the grill, and basted the pork with the BBQ. Every 15 minutes or so, I rotated the pork, each time basting ALL sides of the pork with more BBQ. I contined doing so until it reached an internal temperature of 170 dgrees farenheit. :) I then took it off of the grill, and allowed it to rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting...

Why let it rest, you ask?
Itallows the meat to reabsorb its juices.  As the proteins denature, the juice is squeezed out of the cells, and it's pushed towards the outside of a thick piece of meat.  If you slice it, the juices will leak out.  If you allow it to rest first, the juices gradually reabsorb throughout the meat, making it tastier. 
Oh and by the way, it may look like your pork is burnt, it's NOT I promise! Meanwhile, I made Fried Corn, and Rice and Peas.! Yumm,. Oh and I can't forget the dessert (apple peach bread pudding), but that recipes still to come. :/ Sorry ya'll.

The resting process..
Southern Style Fried Corn
3 cups Corn (Fresh?about 6 Ears, Canned Or Frozen)
4 strips Bacon
½ cup diced onion
½ cup Milk
¼ teaspoons Pepper
1 pinch Sugar

Fry your bacon until crisp, drain, chop up into small pieces and set aside. In the same skillet that you fried your bacon, Saute your onions. After your onions are sauteed, place your corn in the skillet.. Cook, but do not stir. When the bottom of the corn has browned (you can check by lifting the corn with a spatula), add the bacon, milk, pepper and sugar. (You can add salt here also) Stir, cover and cook for about 10 minutes over low heat.


Yes, it's better in an iron skillet.!
Rice and Peas

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup precooked brown rice
2 cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon Butter
12 oz. Frozen Peas
salt
pepper

Bring Chicken Broth to a boil, add in all the ingredients EXCEPT for the Peas. Stir. And cook for 10-12 minutes. Fluff rice with fork, add peas. Stir. Cover. and continue to cook on LOW heat for 5-8 minutes, or until peas are no longer frozen. :)


The finished product.!Overall, this meal was delicious. Everyone had seconds! (: