BBQ recipe: Grilled Pork Chops with Plums from America’s Test Kitchen

This recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s new cookbook, “The Outdoor Cook: How to Cook Anything Outside Using Your Grill, Fire Pit, Flat-Top Grill and More” (ATK, $29.99) covers equipment, fuel, fire and safety before getting into meals — like this one for grilled pork chops and stone fruit — to whet your appetite.

The cooks at America’s Test Kitchen say: “This weeknight-friendly, warm-weather riff on pork roast with prunes pairs quick-grilling pork chops with juicy ripe plums — one of summer’s finest fruits. The pork chops are sprinkled with a savory-sweet spice mixture of coriander, ginger, salt and pepper plus a bit of brown sugar to play off the sweetness of the plums. It takes just a few minutes on the grill for these thin-cut chops to cook through and pick up great grill marks, while the bit of extra fat from the bone keeps the meat juicy.”

Grilled Pork Chops with Plums

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 plums, halved and pitted

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided

1½ teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon pepper

4 (6-ounce) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, ½ inch thick, trimmed

3 ounces (3 cups) baby arugula

DIRECTIONS

Whisk oil and lemon juice together in medium bowl; set aside dressing.

Rub cut sides of plums with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Combine coriander, salt, ground ginger, pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with spice mixture.

For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high; cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.