Grilled Pork Chops and Cherry Salsa
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THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY Superfresh Growers and Two Bite Cherries.
Dry rubbed with a sweet and spicy rub, these grilled pork chops are cooked to tender perfection and topped with a fresh cherry, pepper and honey salsa.
I’m excited that today’s post is sponsored by my friends over at Superfresh Growers and Two Bite Cherries!
Whether eaten right out of the bowl, roasted to bring out their flavor, sprinkled in salads or chopped and used in a dessert like my Old Fashioned Cherry Crisp or my Cherry Ricotta Bruschetta appetizer, cherries like these HUGE Two Bite dark, are beyond sweet and so good for you, too.
I had the pleasure of flying up to Yakima, Washington recently to visit Cat, Erica, Lauren and the Superfresh Growers crew and their hospitality was fantastic.
We toured the orchards (with Mount Adams in the background) and packing plant and got a literal taste and view of all the processes that go into getting these amazing, plump cherries to a market near you. It was fascinating.
Did you know 60,000,000 pounds of cherries are processed per month per season? CRAZY, right?!
After chatting with them for a while I was asked to come up with a savory way to use their Two Bite Cherries, and with grilling season upon us, I thought a good pork chop was in order. I figured a sweet dry rub would work and opted to use the cherries in a bright, sweet and spicy salsa. This works!
The 1-inch thick pork chops I picked up got a dry rub and then on the grill they went!
The cherries got quartered and mixed with fresh, diced peppers, honey and some mint. Super easy to come together and beyond tasty, I think you’ll really enjoy this one.
Thanks again to Superfresh Growers and Two Bite Cherries for sponsoring today’s post. Thank you too for supporting the companies that continue to make Kevin Is Cooking possible.
Here’s a few snaps from the trip!
Grilled Pork Chops and Cherry Salsa
Ingredients
Pork Chops
- 2 lbs pork chops
- 2 tbsp Sweet Pork Dry Rub seasoning (See Below)
- 1 tbsp oil
Cherry Salsa
- 4 cups whole cherries
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 lemon (or 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Sweet Pork Dry Rub
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp chili seasoning
- 2 tsp garlic powder (or garlic flakes)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
Instructions
Sweet Pork Dry Rub
- Mix together in a small bowl and keep in an airtight container.
Pork Chops
- Rub pork chops on both sides with 2 tablespoons of the dry rub and allow to rest 1 hour minimum, covered in refrigerator. Bring to room temp (about 15 minutes) prior to grilling.
Cherry Salsa
- In a small bowl whisk together the honey, juice from half the lemon or use apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Chop the mint, add to bowl. Slice jalapeño lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut into small strips and then cut into small dice, add to bowl. Cut and use half the yellow bell pepper. Discard stem and seeds. Cut into uniform small dice, add to bowl. Save remains portion for other use. Wash, pit and quarter each cherry, add to bowl.
- Mix all salsa ingredients together. Place in refrigerator and chill while you grill pork chops.
Grilling
- Heat grill to medium (325°F to 350°F) Brush grill or drizzle oil in grill pan.
- Add dry rubbed pork chops and cook for 2 minutes then reposition chops a quarter turn (for crosss hatch marks) and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes (4 minutes total) or until the underside is caramelized and the pork releases from the grill.
- Cook 2 minutes then reposition chops a quarter turn again (for crosss hatch marks) and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes (4 minutes total) or until the internal temperature is 145°F.
- Transfer pork chops to a plate, cover loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with cherry salsa spooned over each pork chop.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
May wanna check the nutrition facts for this recipe. 3 grams of protein is almost definitely wrong for a pork chop.
Thanks Melissa, the plugin definitely had a glitch and has been updated. Appreciate you inquiring. It’s fixed and has the correct numbers per serving. Thanks!
That savory chutney looks wonderful. You can’t go wrong with Yakima cherries. The wine there is top notch as well. Alas, as all our local cherries over here are done for the year. I must now wait to make this. But, this one is pinned for next year’s cherry season.
I’m sure you could easily substitute frozen, but fresh is always best! Thanks Ron, hope you enjoy it. Cheers!