Momma Pritchett's Grilled Pork Chops and Apple Pear Topping

1. In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup brown sugar, soy sauce, orange juice, brown mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and cumin until thoroughly combined and sugar has dissolved. Place pork chops into the bowl and spoon marinade over to cover. Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove chops from marinade and shake off excess. Discard remaining marinade.

3. Grill chops on the preheated grill until browned, showing good grill marks, and no longer pink in the center, about 8 minutes per side. Squeeze lime juice over chops as they grill. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

4. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat, then stir in 1 tablespoon brown sugar and cinnamon; bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in apple and pear slices and cook, stirring often, until fruit is coated with butter mixture and softened but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Transfer apple and pear slices to a grilling basket.

5. Cook fruit slices on the grill until browned, about 5 minutes. Serve grilled fruit with pork chops.

Tips

I had never paid attention to what type of pork chops I used. I always just grabbed and baked — but apparently, it is all in the cut of the meat! 

To reduce the sweetness in this recipe, I would suggest squeezing a bit of lime juice over the meat.

Editor's Note:

Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of marinade ingredients. The actual amount consumed will vary.