Pork Chop Dinner!

Also known as Jenni cooks a real meal with multiple sides and didn't completely destroy everything while multitasking! Tonight we had Molasses and Coffee Pork Chops with salt/pepper/garlic haricot verts (because Whole Foods can't call them green beans), and Potato Au Gratin balls. 

Two things greatly affected this recipe: my inability to properly use my grill pan and my intense fear of food poisoning via meat (never mind the fact that if I eat out I will order my steak/burger medium and love the pinkness but so help me god if there is any pink in meat I cook at home there will be a panic attack). So I burnt the pork chops a little bit on the pan, part my fault/part burning marinade that would have dripped down in a real grill. They would have been stellar on a real grill (some of the reviews broiled them but I was feeling adventurous hence the grill pan). The flavors were still good, an interesting mix of sweetness and then bitterness from the coffee. We decided that we would make this recipe again with Mr. Lawyer in charge of the actual cooking.

Molasses and Coffee Pork Chops

(Alton Brown, Food Network)

Ingredients:
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme (I used a couple pinches of dried thyme)
4 6-to-8-ounce bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick)
Directions:
1. Combine the coffee, molasses, vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the ginger, thyme and pork chops in a 1-gallon zip-top bag; seal and shake to combine.Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Remove the pork from the bag. Pour the marinade into a saucepan; boil gently over medium-high heat, stirring, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 12 to 15 minutes.**
3. Grill the pork chops for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145. Let rest for 5 minutes; serve with the glaze.

**Say what?! I was always told not to reuse marinade even if you boiled it but if Alton Brown does it...I still reserved some non-meaty marinade to reduce down into a glaze.