Pineapple Jerk Pork Chops

One slow day I was working at the e-reader counter and downloaded the (then current) March issue of Everyday Food.  In scanning the contents, I noticed an article about pineapple (one of my favorite fruits); it started with a guide on selecting and cutting the prickly tropical fruit and then had a number of recipes, the first of which was for jerk pineapple pork chops... nom!  Obviously, I snatched up an ink & paper issue of the magazine from the newsstand as soon as I was off work.  After several weeks with school and other life things roadblocking my cookery, I found the time to prepare a delicious din for mum and me (and then took several more weeks before blogging about it.)


Ingredients
2/3 of a whole (4 pound) pineapple, peeled
1 bunch scallions, sliced crosswise into 1-inch piece
1/2 small habanero or 1 large jalapeno, stemmed and seeded (I used two medium ones)
2 tsp dried thyme
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
4 bone-in pork chops, 3/4-inch-thick and about 6oz each (I bought a loin on the cheap and sliced it myself)
course salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Scallions, spices, garlic and jalapenos

Pineapple

1 - Cut four 1/2-inch-thick rounds from the pineapple and set aside. Cut the remaining pineapple into large chunks, discarding the core. In a food processor (or blender in my case), combine pineapple chunks, scallions, chile(s), thyme, garlic, and allspice and pulse until coarsely chopped. Reserve 1/4 cup of this marinade and refrigerate.

It doesn't look like much, but just wait!

 2 - Season pork with salt & pepper and place in a 9x13 glass baking dish along with the pineapple round. Top with remaining pineapple marinade and turn pork and pineapple to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour (up to 4 hours).

3. In a large nonstick skillet, hear 1 Tbsp of the olive oil over medium-high. Working in two batches, brush the marinade off the pork and cook chops until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes per batch, flipping once (reduce heat if pork begins to overbrown.) When chops are complete, add 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet. Brush marinade from pineapple rounds and cook until golden brown in spots; 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once.




4. Serve pork and rounds with reserved pineapple marinade.

A complete meal

Delicious!

The meal was delicious! Tender and flavorful pork with the savory marinade accented with caramelized sweetness of the browned pineapple.   If you dig Caribbean fair, I highly suggest giving this recipe a go.