Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney

I came up with this recipe on the fly while walking around Rouse's Supermarket in Lafayette prior to doing a Louisiana MasterChef cooking demo.  I really wasn't sure what I wanted to cook, but all of the sudden it hit me: pork, fruit and booze.  I've seen that combination play out well for me before! Walking through the store I found some lovely peaches and some amazing thick-cut pork chops.  I just went with it from there.  Here is the recipe of what turned out to be a great dish.  I'd make that spicy peach chutney again any day!

Grilled Pork Chop with Spicy Peach Chutney 

6 bottles of slightly fruity wheat beer (I used Bayou Teche's Grenade)
2 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp Allspice
2 tbsp Cinnamon

1 bay leaf
4 thick cut pork chops
1 stick of butter
2 shallots
2 jalapenos
1 garlic clove
2 peaches 

Slap Ya Mama white pepper blend
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper

Step 1: Make a beer brine. 

Pour 2 bottles of beer into a grill-safe pot. Heat the beer until simmering or slowly boiling. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of allspice, 2 tbsp of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp ground black pepper. Heat keep over heat until all ingredients have dissolved into the beer and come together as one. Remove from heat and chill.

Once at room temperature, add the pork chops to the brine and allow to soak for at least an hour or two.

Step 2: Drink a beer while the brine is cooling and the pork chops are in the brine. Okay, drink two beers. 

Step 3: Prepare spicy peach chutney. 

Once the pork is getting close to coming out of the brine, finely chop the shallots, jalapenos, garlic and peaches. Melt some butter in a pan over the grill. saute the shallots in the butter. Once soft, add in the jalapenos and garlic. Saute until cooked down and soft, then add the chopped peaches. Continue to cook down. Add about half of a beer (drink the other half), the 1/2 cup of brown sugar that remains, and Slap Ya Mama white pepper blend to taste. Continue to cook it down while moving on to step 4.

Step 4: Cook the pork chops. 

Remove the pork chops from the brine. Place on the grill over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, then flip. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the chop and temperature of the grill. Probably 5-10 minutes per side. Cook to a medium temperature.

Remove the pork chops from the grill. Allow them to rest for just a few minutes. Top each chop with the spicy peach chutney, and enjoy with your last beer from the six pack.


And in case you missed it, here is the little video I put together of the cooking demo with myself, Brant Langlinais, and Jason Broussard... all in the Top 100 on MasterChef Season 2!