Mustard and Savory-Marinated Pork Chops with Cornichon Butter

Family Meal, Heirloom Pork

SERVES: 4

This simple but delicious grilled pork chop comes from one of the best cooks I know. A meal at Jeff’s Seattle home is better than one at most restaurants. This recipe adds flavor before cooking using a marinade and after with a compound butter made with chopped cornichons. Jeff prefers to use heirloom pork chops, his favorite breed being Duroc, but as long as you remove the chops from the grill when they reach 135°F to 140°F, you can use pork from your favorite market.

INGREDIENTS:

• • 3 small garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons dry vermouth
  • 1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh summer savory or rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 1½- to 2-inch-thick bone-in center-cut rib pork chops
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cornichon Butter:

• • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1 tablespoon dry white wine or vermouth
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cornichons
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the marinade, whisk together garlic, vermouth, mustard, savory, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Place the marinade in a shallow dish large enough to hold the chops snugly.
2. Pierce each pork chop all over with a fork. Add the chops to the marinade and turn to coat on all sides. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Remove the chops from the marinade, shaking off the excess. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before grilling.
4. Set up a charcoal or gas grill for indirect grilling.
5. Season the chops with the salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook for 2 minutes, taking care not to burn them and moving them if flare-ups occur. Turn and grill on the other side for 2 minutes. Move to the part of the grill with no heat, cover the grill, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the chops are firm to the touch, with a faint pink color remaining, and an instant-read thermometer registers 135°F to 140°F close to the bone. Remove from the grill and top each chop with a tablespoon of the Cornichon Butter. Let rest, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

CORNICHON BUTTER:

1. Mix the shallots and white wine in a medium bowl and set aside to macerate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse the butter and mustard in a food processor until well combined.
2. Transfer the butter mixture to the bowl with the shallots, add the cornichons, salt, and pepper, and blend with a rubber spatula until well combined.
3. Spread a 12-inch-long piece of plastic wrap on your work surface and scrape the butter onto the plastic wrap. Shape and roll the butter into a rough log, 1½ to 2 inches in diameter, leaving about 2 inches at either end of the wrap. Twist the ends to seal, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before use. The butter will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS:

• Blade-end pork loin chops, T-bone (center-cut) loin chops, or boneless chops; veal rib chops, beef steaks, or goat chops.

COOK’S NOTES:

• If your store doesn’t have chops 1½ to 2 inches thick, ask the butcher to cut some for you. Make sure you tell him or her to cut between the bones so that each chop has a whole rib bone. If your store can’t cut you thick chops, buy ones that are at least 1 inch thick and grill over the indirect heat for only 4 to 5 minutes per side.
• If you like your chops well-done, eliminate the marinade and use a flavor brine instead. Once the chops are flavor-brined, season them with freshly ground black pepper and chopped fresh savory and thyme.

LEFTOVERS:

• Toss strips of leftover pork with a mustardy vinaigrette and serve over frisée. Use leftover Cornichon Butter as a spread for ham, cold beef, or veal sandwiches or to top grilled steaks, veal chops, or burgers.