I don’t know about you but when I hear the word “sticky” when describing food, like this Sticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches, my ears perk up! (Truth be told, my mouth waters a little, too, just at the idea!)
Sticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches
That’s coz I just know there’s going to be gorgeous, caramelized deliciousness, and if you’re lucky (and you are with this recipe) there’s going to be a play on flavors: smoky, sweet, sour, salty & just a hint of spice.
About Sticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches:
I think we all know how good pork is with apples, like my Creamy Apple & Cider Pork Chops. Another classic pairing is pork with pineapple like you’ll see in my Grilled Hawaiin Pineapple Pork Chops. But pork and peaches? There’s just not as much press there! I hope to remedy that with this dish.
The chops stay juicy and delectable and flavored through and through thanks to the easy brine. Most of the flavor comes from that glistening glaze. It’s deep, it’s dark and it just might be a bit mysterious.
Ketchup’s vinegary tang melds with the sweet peach jam & gives just a hint of a sweet/sour vibe. The hot sauce takes a back seat but adds a little balance. The bourbon steps in with a back note of earthiness, grounding all the flavors, slightly lingering on the tongue.
If you didn’t know what is in this simple glaze, I think you’d be hard-pressed to guess. The grilled peaches, though, are a bit of a hint. I’m thinking you’re gonna want to lick your plate clean! You might notice I only photographed two chops – guess where the other two went, lol! Resistance was futile! Seriously just joshing you – this time around I only made two! But they are that good!
What to Serve with your Chops:
I think these chops are just perfect served with the peaches and red onion grilled alongside for a light meal. You can round this out with a simple salad and for another side, check out my post for Stupid Simple Sweet Potato Fries. They’d be a match made in heaven with these chops.
Stupid Simple Sweet Potato Fries – they’re crispy!
Making Sticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches:
I was initially inspired by a recipe I saw on Food & Wine, Mo’s Sticky Ribs. I kind of plucked the flavors from those ribs for my chops. Well, with more than a few little tweaks. Mo says anyone you make the ribs for will fall in love with you. May you have the same results with my pork chops!
The brining is so important with today’s drier chops. Go as long as you can, within reason. Use part beer for the liquid if you want. I used a pilsner but you can experiment. If you don’t use alcohol just use all water.
The grilling is easy. Set the grill up: one side medium and one side medium-high. Now my chops were about 1/2″ so the searing has to happen hot and fast or the chops would be done before the glaze was properly heated and caramelized.
Since my chops were thinner, I only seared one side but with thicker chops, I’d sear both sides. Either way, finish on the cooler side, brushing with glaze and turning until desired temperature is reached.
Ready for the grill
Pork Temperatures:
Safe temperature for pork is 145 degrees F. followed by a three-minute rest, according to the National Pork Board. Check out their site if you have time; it’s full of wonderful information and it has photos of pork chops cooked to each of these temperatures.
- Medium Rare: 145 to 150 degrees F.
- Medium: 150 to 155 degrees F.
- Medium Well 155 to 160 F.
- Well: 160 degrees F.
Sticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches
Saving Money on Sticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches:
Pork Chops:
- Various pork chops go on sale so often (especially in the fall) and freeze so well that there’s really no sense in paying full price. Watch your ads and let the pricing inspire your menu rather than the other way around. Pork freezes well for a few months (longer in a deep freeze) well wrapped so it pays to pick it up at a low.
- Stores will often run specials along the lines of $10 for 10 chops. These are never a great deal. If you divide the dollar amount by the weight to find how much per pound, you are quickly going to see you’re paying more than you might think.
Beer & Bourbon:
- If you can stock up with no worries, it really pays to watch ads and sales when buying any alcohol. You’ll find low prices throughout the year, especially pre-holiday weekend sales, but the best time to buy liquor is going to be in the spring.
- Traditionally, shops have a huge spring sale on various liquor, usually around March. Sign up for email alerts. Beer is almost always on sale, so if you miss stocking up around the holidays, no worries. If you are not particular about brand or type you’ll have a world of possibilities.
Condiments:
- You’ll want to pick up condiments during the summer when the prices are extremely competitive. There are a number of summer holidays and most of the great sales are clustered in a week or two before each. Seriously think about stocking up at a low for the year. Check out my post for Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day sales – Saving on Summer Holidays.
- If you miss the summer sales, there’s usually a “hail Mary” right before the Superbowl; you can see my post on Superbowl Savings.
Sticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches
I hope y’all will enjoy this recipe as much as we do! I was tickled that my son, Kraig, cooked these, although it’s been a while since these photos were taken. Once I remembered I hadn’t actually made a post I had to get on it. These will be marvelous all summer long! And I can’t help but love that, from the flavor, they seem like they’d be so much more work than they are!
Mollie
PrintSticky Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + Brine
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes active
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Pork
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops, 3/4″ thick
- 2 peaches, pit removed and halved
- 1 red onion sliced across into 4 sections
- about 2 tablespoons oil
- salt & pepper to taste for onion
Brine:
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups water divided
- 1 beer
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 6 whole cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup peach (or apricot jam)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- a few dashes of hot sauce
Note:
- 1 1/2 cups of water can be substituted for beer
- Fresh lemon juice can be used in place of bourbon
Instructions
Brining:
In a non-reactive bowl, add the salt. Heat one cup of water to very warm, pour over the salt in the bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the remainder of the cool to room temperature liquid, garlic, cloves, peppercorns, and bourbon.
Place pork chops in a large (gallon) Ziploc bag and place the Ziploc bag in another container (to hold it upright and to control any possible leakage when it is refrigerated.) Add pork chops.
Once the salt mixture is cool, pour over the pork in the Ziploc. Squeeze to remove as much air as possible. Refrigerate for at least 15 to 20 minutes, 2 to 4 hours if possible, and up to 12 hours for thinner pork chops and up to 24 hours if thick. Drain and pat pork dry before using. Keep in mind, the longer the better when brining.
Preheat one side of grill to medium-high heat (to sear chops) and the other to medium. Lightly oil the grates.
In a microwave-safe cup or bowl, add the marinade ingredients, ketchup, jam, olive oil, bourbon, and hot sauce. Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each increment of time to melt jam. Place about 1/4 cup in a small bowl and reserve for finishing.
Grilling:
Heat one side of grill to medium-high and the other to medium.
Quickly sear the pork chops:
- For chops 1/2″ thick or less, sear one side only, on the hot side of the grill, brush the top with thin layer of glaze, then turn over and move to the cooler side of the grill.
- For chops that are thicker, sear both sides. Brush top with a thin layer of glaze while the first side sears, then turn over to sear the second side.
As chops are moved to the cooler side of grill, continue to cook to desired doneness. As the glaze begins to dry and caramelize, brush the top with a thin layer of glaze and turn. Repeat until the temperature is reached.
When the chops are moved to the cooler side, turn the hot side down to a medium heat. Lightly brush cut side of onions (toothpicks can be driven through the sides of the onions to hold the segments in place) and peaches with oil. Place on the former hot side of the grill. They’ll get the initial sear but then cook more slowly. Move peaches, turning to get grill marks. Turn onion over when the down side is marked. Remove peaches when they are well marked and remove the onion when softened.
To serve, remove chops from the grill, place the best-looking side up, and brush with reserved glaze. Rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with a slice of onion and a peach half cut into segments.
Keywords: Alcohol, apricot jam, Bargain Meal of the Week, Beer, bourbon, hot sauce, peach jam, peaches, Pork, pork chops, Red onion
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