Grilled Pork Chops with Smoky Peach BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 C boiling water
- ½ C salt
- ½ C firmly-packed brown sugar
- 4 C ice cubes
- 4 thick bone-in pork loin chops (about 3 lbs)
- SPICE RUB:
- 2 T ground black pepper
- 1 T ground white pepper
- 1 T applewood smoked salt
- 1 T brown sugar
- 2 T paprika
- 2 T cumin
- 2 T coriander
- BBQ Sauce:
- 2 T canola oil
- 1½ small Vidalia onions , chopped
- 2 shallots , minced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 T minced fresh ginger
- 4 large ripe yellow peaches , pitted and chopped, or 6 medium-sized peaches
- 2 ripe tomatoes , chopped
- ¼ C ketchup
- 1 t liquid smoke
- ½ C apple cider vinegar
- ½ C orange juice
- ¼ C packed brown sugar , more or less to taste
- ½ t ground allspice
- ¼ t ground cloves , scant
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring 6 C water to a boil. Dissolve ½ C salt and ½ C sugar into boiling water. Add 4 C ice. Pour brine into a shallow baking dish and add pork chops. Let pork chops brine in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- While brining pork chops, make the sauce: Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add canola oil and heat until oil is shimmering. Add chopped Vidalia onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 or more minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger and sauté 1 minute longer. Add the peaches and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the ketchup and liquid smoke. Stir in the vinegar, orange juice, brown sugar, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened slightly, about 15-20 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and puree until smooth. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Pour BBQ sauce into a serving bowl, reserving ½ C sauce for basting. Refrigerate BBQ sauce if not using right away.
- Remove pork chops from brine; discard brine. Rinse chops well and pat dry with paper towel. Combine spice rub mix, and both sides of each chop generously. Return the chops to the fridge until ready to grill.
- Grill the pork chops over your choice of grill until desired doneness. In the last minutes of cooking, baste both sides of the chops with the BBQ sauce. Remove from grill when the chops have heated to an internal temperature of 145°F and serve with Smoky Peach BBQ Sauce.