Fire up the flavor with thick-cut chops and a sweet, smoky peach bourbon sauce that’s worth licking off your fingers.
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
Serves 4
Sauce
¼ cup oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 medium peaches, peeled and chopped
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup bourbon
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup tomato sauce
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ tablespoon chili powder
Kosher salt
Fresh coarse-ground black pepper
Juice from ½ lemon
Chops
4 thick (1½-inch) pork chops
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (aka Spanish paprika)
Canola oil, for grill
Sauce
Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in peaches, sugar, vinegar and bourbon (or water). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, red pepper, chili powder, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peaches and onion are very tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and let cool. Working in batches, transfer the peach mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into clean jars and refrigerate up to two weeks.
Chops
Rinse and pat dry chops. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, sugar and paprika. Rub a generous amount of seasoning all over chops. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 1–2 hours or overnight.
Preheat grill to medium-high and brush with oil. Place chops on direct heat side of grill, and cook about 15 minutes until grill marks appear. Turn and move to indirect heated side of grill, and cook until chops register 140 F on an instant-read thermometer, about 15–20 minutes. Brush chops with sauce on all sides, cover and cook about 5–10 minutes. Remove to a platter, brush with more sauce and tent with foil until ready to serve. Serve with additional sauce.
Chef’s tip: Direct and indirect heat
Generally, on a large grill, only half the burners are turned on. The fire-producing burners provide direct heat, while the dormant burners provide indirect heat.
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