Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

grapes & chops

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Jen Smallwood
St. Cloud, FL

having a grapevine that was over generous one year - I began playing around with various meats and methods of cooking...this was the one that family & friends agreed on - and has been a requested one every late August grilling event.

(1 rating)
yield 4 servings
prep time 4 Hr 30 Min
cook time 55 Min
method Grill

Ingredients For grapes & chops

  • 1/2 c
    kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 1/4 c
    sugar
  • 2 c
    boiling water
  • 4
    bone-in pork rib chops, cut 1 1/4 inches thick (8-10 ounces each)
  • 1
    head of garlic
  • 5 Tbsp
    extra-virgin olive oil
  • ground pepper - to taste
  • 1 lb
    seedless purple grapes, stemmed (3 cups)
  • aged balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

How To Make grapes & chops

  • 1
    In a large bowl, stir the salt, sugar and boiling water until the sugar dissolves. Let cool until lukewarm. Add the chops and refrigerate for 4 hours.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°. Place the garlic on a sheet of foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Wrap tightly and roast until very soft, 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze the cloves from the skins and mash.
  • 3
    Light a grill and oil the grate. Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat dry. Rub all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly charred and just cooked through, 10 minutes. Transfer to plates; keep warm.
  • 4
    In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the grapes and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until they start to burst, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and half of the mashed garlic and cook, stirring, until incorporated, 1 minute.
  • 5
    Reserve the remaining garlic for another use.
  • 6
    Transfer the grapes to the plates.
  • 7
    Drizzle the chops and grapes with vinegar and serve.
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