Zesty Chops With Onions and Cheese

Submitted by 3KillerBs

"Fire up the grill for a batch of these savory, marinated chops with a spicy, flavorful topping of onions, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, and sharp, cheddar cheese. Its easy enough for a family meal but special enough for guest. No grill? The broiler will do the job. Note: Cooking time does not include marinating time."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 6-8 pork chops (not thin-cut)

• Marinade

• 236.59 ml beer
• 59.14 ml fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed in press
• 14.79 ml fresh parsley, minced
• 4.92 ml Dijon mustard
• 2.46 ml lemon zest
• 2.46 ml marjoram
• 0.25 ml nutmeg

• Topping

• 2 red onions, sliced
• 2 fresh jalapenos, chopped (seeds and membranes removed)
• 236.59 ml cherry tomatoes, halved
• 236.59 ml of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 14.79-29.58 ml olive oil

directions

1. Mix together all marinade ingredients. Put chops in wide, shallow pan and pour marinade over them. Marinade 2-4 hours, refrigerated, turning chops every half hour or so. (Boneless chops may be marinated in a plastic, zipper bag but bone-in chops frequently puncture the plastic).
2. Preheat grill to medium. Grill the chops 7-12 minutes on the first side then 5-7 minutes on the second side or until almost but not quite cooked to desired doneness. Remove from heat if topping is not finished.
3. While chops are grilling, sauté onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until about half-cooked.
4. Add jalapeños and cherry tomato halves and continue sautéing until onions are soft and beginning to brown.
5. Turn grill to low heat. Top each chop with a pile of the onion mix and about 2 tbs shredded cheddar.
6. Close the grill lid and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
7. Use a pancake turner to remove chops to a large platter in a single layer.
8. I suggest cornbread and a salad of cucumbers in sour cream for sides. Extra topping can be served on the side. You may even want to make extra for the purpose.
9. If you like some heat but the jalapeños are too hot for you try the milder Anaheim peppers. If you don’t like heat at all try some of the “Cubanelle” frying peppers or regular bell peppers.
10. Note – I suggest cooking the chops to medium-well rather than well-done. Modern pigs are bred to be lean so modern pork is inevitably dry and tough when cooked as well done as was customary in the past.
11. Note – Do not over-marinate. Beer marinades are apt to be bitter if the meat is soaked too long.
12. Note – Try the topping on steak or chicken next time.

Reviews

[racrgal]

This is a wonderful change from "plain ole pork chops". We loved everything about it. The marinade gave the chops a nice flavor all on their own. (Yes I snuck a taste.) The topping was fabulous! The sweet of the red onions nicely complimented the tomato and the heat of the jalapeno. I'll definately make this again. Thanks 3KBs! :-)

 

[Susie D]

I loved the marinade! It was really delicious and 5 stars all by itself. It had a mild beer-y background note, but was not overpowering at all. I thought the use of marjoram and nutmeg were such an excellent choice. The pork chops came out tender and very flavorful. I wasn't as excited about the topping. It seemed an unecessary addition and distraction. The flavors to me of the topping were Tex Mex while the chops seemed more German inspired. I will definitely use the marinade again! Yum!!! =) Thank you for your entry in RSC #10!

 

[lauralie41]

I used boneless pork chops for this recipe and marinated in a ziploc bag for two hours. Only used one jalapeno for us and enjoyed the topping a lot. The chops had a nice flavor from the marinade and were tender but next time I think I would leave them go a little longer. Loved the cheese melted on top, served sour cream cucumbers and grilled potatoes. Thank you Chef and good luck!

 

[Bergy]

I wondered about this marinade but it gave wonderful flavor to the chops. I couldn't BBQ due to sudden rain storm so I pan fried the chops.after I flipped the chops I did the onions. tomatoes etc along side and let them caramelize - great taste that complimented the meat. Then 5 minutes before serving I added the cheese covered the pan with a lid. This is a winner - good luck in RSC10