Greek Honey & Lemon Pork Chops

After slicing up my pork loin roast for the Pork Paillards, I decided to slice 4 loin chops and use them another night.  Now, I'm not the best butcher in the world (not by a long shot) and the chops came out a bit smaller then I planned (and a little odd in shape), but it sure felt good to buy a loin roast for $3.50 and get two meals out of it.  Heck, I even had a piece of this for lunch the next day.  Gonna have to hone in on my butchering skills and do that more often if for no other reason then to save a little money.

This marinade was simple and very flavorful.  The first bite is full of lemon flavor, followed by a slight sweet flavor.  It worked perfectly together.  It's light, it's fresh, it's summer on a chop in my book :)  The original recipe for this called for mint, but wouldn't you know it, they didn't have any fresh mint when we did our grocery shopping.  Don't you hate when that happens?  Well, I actually forgot what the mint was for, I thought it was for something else I was making that week, so I grabbed basil instead, thinking that it would work in it's place.  When I pulled this recipe out I realized that the basil would work, but it wouldn't be very Greeky....solution:  dried oregano.  I love oregano and though most people think it's mainly used in Italian cooking, the Greeks love it too.  I thought the addition worked perfectly!!

Greek Honey & Lemon Pork Chops
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Grillin' & Chillin' cook book
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 boneless pork loin chops (you could use any kind of chops really)
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
zest from one large lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
Place chops in a resealable bag.  In a small bowl combine all other ingredients.  Pour over the pork.  Seal the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours. (I marinated mine for about 9-10 hours, I got them ready just before I was leaving for work)

Preheat grill to medium.  Remove chops from bag and discard marinade.  Place the chops on the grill rack (you might want to rub a little oil on those grates, the honey will caramelize and it could stick) and grill until pork chops are slightly pink in the center and the juices run clear (internal temp of 160 degrees, about 3-9 minutes depending on the thickness of your chops), turning once halfway through grilling time.  Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts: 1 chop = 257 calories; 11g fat; 10g carbohydrates; 29g protein; 71mg cholesterol; 320mg sodium