Marinades revisited: honey and tequilla marinated pork chops

If you were to search this blog for stuff on marinades, ragazzi, you would find that Annalena is not a big fan of them.  She has her reasons:  many recipes for marinated "X" suggest that the marinade is going to penetrate into the X and bring its flavor throughout whatever you're eating.

That, ragazzi, is not going to happen.  Years ago, someone (I believe it was Deborah Madison), proved this to Annalena's satisfaction, by letting different products soak in a very dark colored marinade, for upwards of a day.  If that marinade were penetrating, then you would see color movement.

You didn't.  And if Annalena recalls, she used products that were somewhat permeable, like tofu.  So, if it won't get through stuff like that,  how will it get through meat?  Or hard and firm vegetables?

Essentially, ragazzi, you can get flavor from a marinade INTO more solid products, by cooking them.

Wait... that sounds like boiling , doesn't it?  Indeed it does.  Because it is.  Or at least simmering.  Or pouring hot liquid over something such that it "cooks."    The only case of a "marinade" truly penetrating a protein which Annalena knows of,  is the case of highly acidic "baths" for things like ceviche, where you use fish, which is itself less dense than meat.  And think of the fish you use in ceviche.  Scallops.  Shrimp.  Flounder.  Halibut.  All of these are "lighter weight" than, say, tuna or swordfish, which are very difficult to ceviche.

If you keep that in mind, and have reasonable expectations as to what a marinade can do, you'll be ok.  A marinade will give you flavor ON THE SURFACE of your meat.  You might get more of it into the meat if the marinade is very salty, but because you're going to have the meat sit in that marinade for a  while, you have to worry about oversalting.

Annalena saw this marinade, on a television show while working out on her hated treadmill.  It was used for a skirt steak, but she thought it was better with pork.  It sure is good.  Here we go.  And keep the salt instructions in mind.  They're important.

First, to make your marinade, for anywhere from 2-4 thick  pork chops on the bone, combine a half cup of olive oil, a quarter cup of tequilla, the juice of four limes (Annalena HATES squeezing limes, by the way), about four cloves of chopped garlic,  2-3 chopped up hot peppers (don't worry about the heat very much.  Not much of it will get in the meat), and finally,  a quarter cup of honey, and AT LEAST  two teaspoons of salt.  Stir this all together.   Taste it.  Does it taste salty?  If it doesn't, add more salt. This "brine" should be fairly salty, because the salt is going to carry the flavors into the food. The alcohol and acid from the lime juice and tequila are going to tenderize the meat,  the honey is going to cause the flavors to stick to the surface, and the oil is going to help carry the flavors as well.

You want to stir this until the honey is well incorporated.  Then, put it in a large plastic bag, add your chops, seal the bag and stir things around.  Put the whole thing in a bowl, and refrigerate it, overnight, or leave it on your counter for about 3-4 hours (Annalena prefers the refrigerator option).

When you're ready to cook, heat up a stove top grill and slick it lightly with olive oil.  Get it hot, and while it's heating up, pour off the marinade from your chops.   Add them to the pan, and cook on each side, for about four minutes. Watch the browning.  That's the result of the honey.  Then put the whole pan in the oven for another 4-5 minutes, at 375, and then pull it out and let it rest for another five.

VOILA.  You will have very well seasoned, tasty chops.  More of the flavor gets into the fat of the chop, so you may find yourself on the horns of a dilemma: you KNOW you're not supposed to eat the fat, but...

Well, Annalena cannot tell you what to do on that one, ragazzi.  What she CAN tell you, is that if  you move those chops to a plate and let them sit, you have an empty grill, and you can slice up some underripe peaches, or nectarines, or mangoes, etc, and grill them too. Just pile em on your chops.

Some good eating here, ragazzi. Annalena served them with pole beans and corn.  Make your own menu.  Let us know what ya did.