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Guajillo Pork Chops

www.yes-moreplease.com

The great delicate fruity middle spice guajillo and garlic adobo over these porter house pork chops is to die for. Serve them with mashed sweet potatoes, and a generous green salad with a generous squeeze of lemon or lime, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 2" Porterhouse Pork Chops, about 1 lb each.
  • 1 tablespoon Extra virgin Olive Oil
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to season the chops
  • 1 tablespoon butter

For the brine:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 piece bay leaf

For the Guajillo Adobo:

  • 4 dry Guajilllo peppers
  • 8 cloves garlic, fresh
  • 1/4 teaspoon comino seeds
  • 1 teaspoons sea salt
  • Fresh crushed black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons Apple cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar

Instructions

  1. 1. In a glass bowl, dissolve sugar and salt into the warm water. Add ice, let it melt, add bay leaf. Add pork chops cover with plastic wrap or a lid, let them rest over night or at least 2-4 hours.

    2. Take the pork chops out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking them. To become room temperature, this will ensure even cooking and tender, juicy chops. Remove pork chops from brine and pat dry really well. Set aside.

    3. In a cast iron pan, slightly toast the Guajillo peppers until pliable and they change color. Remove from heat, let them cool a bit. Using kitchen scissors remove the chile tails and shake them to remove all seeds. Cut the chiles into thin rings.

    4. Heat up a cast iron pan, make sure your chops fit loosely on the pan you will use. Add oil and warm up, add garlic, comino seeds, and the thinly cut guajillo. Saute for 2 -3 minutes until Guajillos are deep red and garlic is light golden brown. Remove pan from heat.

    5. With a slotted spoon transfer the sauteed guajillos, garlic and cominos to a molcajete or stone mortar. Add sea salt and grind by hand until a coarse paste. Add the vinegar, agave nectar and grind a few more times until well incorporated.

    This can be done on a small food processor pulsing 3-4 times, add the vinegar and pulse 2 more times until you have a coarse paste. Reserve paste set aside.

    6. In the same cast iron pan, utilizing the garlic-Guajillo infused oil left in the pan, bring the pan to a medium high heat. Season the pork chops both sides and around the edges with sea salt and pepper. Sear the chops for about 2-3 minutes per side and sear the chops all around standing them on their sides. This will render some of the pork fat and also will give a nice crust to the chops.

    7. Once all sides are seared, bring down the heat to medium low and carefully tilt the pan, add the Guajillo adobo paste, into that oil. Be careful this might splash. Place pan flat and start basting the chops with this paste-oil for a couple of minutes. Top pork chops with a couple of spoonfuls of the guajillo adobo, add about ½ tablespoon butter on top of each pork chop.

    Place the pan into the preheated oven at 425 for about 6-8 minutes.

    Insert a meat thermometer, they should read between:

    140-145F for medium rare.

    Remove pan from oven and rest them in the pan for 3 minutes, transfer to a board or warm platter and rest them for 2 minutes.

    155-160F for well done.

    Remove pan from oven and let them rest in the pan for 3-5 minutes for well done. Transfer to a plater and serve.

Recipe Notes

Notes:

I always remove my pork chops from the heat about 5 degrees before they reach the highest temperature, the reminder heat will carry on and will keep cooking the chops, while you baste them, with out over cooking them. New guidelines in cooking temperature from the USDA have allow our sweet pork not being overcooked, living us with a tender, juicer pork.
Check this link for more information:
www.pork.org/new-usda-guidelines-lower-pork-cooking-temperature/

*If you are in Austin, visit Salt & Time for amazing porterhouse pork chops, or Smith and Smith Farms ask for Colby at the Texas Farmers Markets on Sundays at Mueller and Domain location

Happy Cooking!