Pork - Chops [Gr] 'Cilantro & Lime'

By Kwasome

Although they are the same size as chicken cutlets, pork cutlets are not
as tender. Our first grilling attempts produced leathery meat that
cooked so quickly, it didn’t have time to char or develop much grill
flavor. To season the cutlets to the core, we came up with a unique
grilling procedure and a quick marinade. Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries

We prefer tender cutlets made from pounding pork chops to a
uniform thickness. Prepackaged cutlets often have shredded
edges and irregular sizes that lead to uneven cooking.

Use medium-high heat to grill the cutlets. Leave them on one
side for most of the cooking time, then finish them for 30
seconds on the other side. This technique gives the meat a
chance to brown and allows them to develop a nice char.

Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and cilantro form the base
of the marinade, and a last-minute addition of brown sugar
softened the acidity of the vinegar and helped produce
caramelization on the cutlets.

Cilantro becomes soapy-tasting if chopped in advance, so we
recommend chopping this herb right before adding it to the
marinade.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup lime juice (from 3 limes)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 3/4 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 12 thin-cut boneless pork chops (about 2 pounds),

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Combine lime juice, oil, garlic, cilantro, cumin, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in large zipper-lock plastic bag. Transfer chops to bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
2. Remove cutlets from bag and discard marinade. Grill cutlets over hot fire until bottom begins to turn opaque around edges, about 2 minutes. Flip cutlets and grill until just cooked through, about 30 seconds. Transfer to platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.