Well. Today is just rainy and gloomy outside, but this last weekend, we still had decent weather. I decided to grill. While most people in PR would never grill at this point (50 degree weather with rain and wind) I have in the past. Does this mean I am an honorary Iowan? Somebody told me that I could reach said “milestone” if I grill outside in 20 degree weather in the winter. If that’s what I have to do to get an “honorary mention”… I will politely pass.
Iowa Chops! Iowa chops are essentially thick pork chops. If I were in PR, they would be a “chuleton” to some extent. Chuletas Can Can would be if you essentially deep fry the pork chop. No wonder Puerto Rico and Iowa can be BFFs. We love our chops and pork overall.
Here’s how I made my chops.
- 4 Iowa Chops
- Adobo (to taste)
- Salt & Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Oil (so that the seasoning can stick to something)
If you want to make your own adobo there are a ton of different recipes out there, but the main ingredients in adobo are: salt, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric. It should be mostly yellow in color, but there are many variations.
How to:
- Preheat your grill for 350 degrees.
- Place your chops in a sheet pan and just a splash of oil and rub it to the chops on both sides. The chop should not be dripping, just sticky. This is what will help the seasonings stick to the actual chops. If you don’t use oil, most of the seasoning will fall off the chops.
- Season the chops.
- Place the chops on the grill and grill them for 10 minutes per side. If you want to have the beautiful criss-cross markings in the chops you need to move them in a 90 degree angle after 5 minutes. All grills are different so the 10 mins are a suggestion,
- Serve Immediately!
You can serve the chops with some mash potatoes, broccoli or broccolini, polenta, etc.
A great way to serve them is with arroz Mamposteao! You can find that recipe here.
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