Garlic-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops & A Winter Wonderland

BBBRRRRRRRRR!!  Looking at this picture I can't help but think:  I'm SO glad I live in the desert!!  I will gladly suffer through summers with temperatures above 100 degrees for months at a time, to not have to endure the blowing, drifting, freezing snow.

This picture was taken by a friend of mine from Nebraska (Thanks Kathleen for the use of the picture!).  We use to live right across the street from each other.  She still lives there (though not in the same town), as does most of my family. They are getting hit by yet another wave of winter storms.  My mom told me that they got 3.5" of snow on top of the 30" that was already on the ground and the temperature, with windchill, was 38 BELOW ZERO this morning!! It almost makes me feel bad for posting this recipe.

I grilled outside in January............................and THAT is why I endure the summers here :)

I made this last summer and it was a huge hit in our house.  I originally saw this recipe on foodnetwork.com.  It was a recipe by Bobby Flay called Garlic Mustard Beef Skewers. I think Bobby Flay is a grilling GOD, (I hope to one day become half the grill master he is) so I will usually go to his recipes when I'm searching for grilling ideas.  I was actually looking for a pork dish when I found this one.  I thought the mustard flavor would work perfectly with the pork, so I made the glaze and just changed the type of meat I was using.  It turned out to be one of our favorite pork dishes. The glaze is just so sweet and tangy, it would work for beef, pork, or chicken.  Maybe I will revisit this recipe in the summer and use chicken.... or heck, if you want, use chicken and then let me know how it turns out!

Garlic Mustard Glazed Pork Chops
 Adapted from Bobby Flay, Food Network 

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup grainy mustard
2 Tbls Dijon mustard
2 Tbls white wine vinegar
1 Tbls honey
1 Tbls low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp Spanish paprika (I used a mix of smoked and sweet paprika)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 pork chops (your choice of cut)

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients, except pork chops, in a small bowl.  Set aside 1/4 cup of the glaze.

Place the pork in a resealable Ziploc bag and pour the glaze into the bag.  Turn bag over several times to evenly coat the pork. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

On a preheated grill, cook the pork 4-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chop.  Use the reserved glaze to baste the pork as it cooks.  Enjoy!

For those not fortunate enough to be able to grill (outside OR inside) in January, you can easily bake, broil, or even pan fry the pork.   I would recommend baking and/or broiling for the best results, though. 

And in case you were wondering.....Corn?  This time of year?  Yep, and it was delicious!  Not as sweet as Nebraska corn, but darn good for January! 

Stay warm everyone!