5 tasty ways to cook pork on the grill

“Not so much,” said Carlos Guia, executive chef of The Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas. “I think people mostly think of ribs; you can do a slow-grilled rib or something.”

“A lot of folks might be having burgers and hot dogs,” conceded Pam Johnson, director of consumer communications for the National Pork Board. “A pork lover has their pork, but maybe doesn’t think of it as often. For grilling, we definitely want to make sure pork’s part of that.”

And so, of course, the board is encouraging us to grill pork regularly — and to remind us that we can add a lot of flavor to the mostly neutral canvas of the “other white meat.”

“There are pork-passionate consumers out there,” Johnson said. “They’re starting to be more creative and be a little more flavorful with it.”

Guia said he likes to use a brown-sugar brine on pork chops.

“Brown sugar and molasses and salt,” he said. “It gets to the point where it’s almost cured. Then we chargrill it and it comes out nice and moist.” He finishes with a black mission fig and bourbon barbecue sauce, which he said goes well with the brown sugar and molasses.

“Whenever I cook pork, I almost always brine it,” agreed Chris Keating, executive chef of T-bones Chop House at Red Rock Resort. “Pork is one of those types of meat that don’t have a lot of flavor on their own; it’s encased in fat, but it doesn’t have a lot of marbling running through it.”

But it can take on a lot of flavor, Keating said, depending on how you prepare it. He said he often uses aromatics such as herbs, garlic and shallots.

“Sometimes I’ll put an apple or some kind of fruit in there,” he said. “This time of year, it would be best to use some stone fruit.

“Brine it for a good 24 hours. Take it out, dry the brine off, rinse it off really well so it doesn’t come out too salty. Let air-dry for two to three hours at room temperature.”

Leaving it out, or tempering the meat, helps it cook more evenly, Keating said.

“I think that’s a lot more important with pork than with beef because of how unevenly it can cook,” he said. “Tempering is very important because there’s not a lot of fat running through it to protect the meat from overcooking.”

Be sure the grill is very hot, he said. Rub the grill with oil and sear the meat to get grill marks on it. Finish cooking on a cooler part of the grill or in the oven.

One thing to remember, Guia said, is not to overcook pork.

“You don’t have to cook pork well anymore,” he said. “Cook it until 165 degrees. Otherwise it’ll dry out, and that’s why some people don’t like pork.”

“Grill it like you would your steak,” Johnson said. “If you like your steak medium-rare, grill your pork chop medium-rare.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, she said, changed its recommendations for pork to 145 degrees for medium-rare and 160 for medium, with a three-minute rest.

She agreed that pork can be dry if overcooked, pointing out that it’s 16 percent leaner than it was 20 years ago.

“Chops are one of our leaner cuts,” she said. “More reason why you don’t want to overcook them.”

For a fattier cut, like a pork shoulder, she said to use indirect heat.

“You get these crispy burnt ends and the crispy outer layer and it’s just wonderful,” she said.

She also praised the versatility of pork.

“Actually, it’s for whatever meal or occasion you’ve got,” Johnson said. “For that real quick weeknight meal, chops or tenderloin are perfect. Barbecue low and slow those ribs or that shoulder on the weekend.”

“It’s definitely one of my favorite meats,” Guia said. “It’s versatile. You can do anything from a ham steak to bacon; you can do so many different preparations with it. And I like the flavor, too. I love cracklings.”

“I love grilling pork,” Keating said. “It takes on the flavor of other things really well. If you’ve got a wood-burning grill, it’ll take on the mesquite or smoked flavor. With a charcoal grill, it’ll take on that charred flavor.”

Here are recipes from the National Pork Board:

BACON BARBECUE PORK CHOPS

4 slices bacon, preferably maple-flavored

4 New York (top loin) pork chops, 1 inch thick (6 ounces each)

4 tablespoons barbecue sauce

½ cup lager beer, or nonalcoholic beer

Wrap bacon around edges of pork and secure with a wooden toothpick.

Mix together barbecue sauce and beer.

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat (about 450 degrees). Grill chops over direct heat until the internal temperature reaches between 145 degrees (medium-rare) and 160 degrees (medium), on a meat thermometer, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 minutes.

Serves 4.

CHERRY COLA RIBS

2 slabs St. Louis-cut spareribs (2 1/2 pounds each)

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground chipotle (divided use, see note)

1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup cherry cola (not diet)

3/4 cup hickory-flavored barbecue sauce

Prepare a grill to medium heat (350 degrees).

Starting at the bony underside of the rack, slip a small thin knife under the membrane on the bones. Loosen about 1 inch of the membrane. Grab the loosened membrane with a paper towel and pull along the length of the rack to remove the membrane. (You may have to do this a couple of times, until most of the membrane is removed.) Cut each slab in half between two ribs.

In a small bowl, mix chili powder, garlic salt and 1 teaspoon chipotle. While grill is heating, rub mixture all over ribs and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes.

Pour 1/4 cup of cola into a bowl. Place ribs bone-side-down on grill over indirect heat (if using a charcoal grill, place over a drip pan with 1/2 cup water). Cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, brushing ribs with cola on both sides about every 20 minutes, until ribs shrink to expose bones by about 1/2 inch on the ends.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine barbecue sauce with remaining 1/3 cup cola. On the stove, simmer over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3/4 cup. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon chipotle.

Brush ribs with sauce and continue to cook 20 to 30 minutes, basting and turning often, until ribs are nicely glazed and tender. Let stand for 5 minutes on cutting board. Cut between bones and serve.

Note: If desired, substitute cayenne pepper for chipotle.

Serves 8.

CIDER BRINED PORK CHOPS

1/3 cup table salt or fine sea salt

⅓ cup plus ¼ cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons dried thyme (or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme)

1½ cups chilled hard apple cider (1 12-ounce bottle) or apple cider

1½ cups ice water

2 teaspoons hot red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco (divided use)

4 porterhouse pork chops, about ¾ inch thick

In a small saucepan, stir 1 cup water with salt, 1/3 cup of maple syrup and dried thyme over medium heat until salt dissolves and water is hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat. Add cider, ice water and 1 teaspoon hot sauce and stir until ice dissolves to create brine.

Put chops in a self-sealing plastic bag, pour in brine and seal bag. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, no longer. In small bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup syrup and 1 teaspoon hot sauce; set aside.

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat (about 450 degrees). Remove chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Grill chops over direct heat until the internal temperature reaches between 145 degrees (medium-rare) and 160 degrees (medium) on a meat thermometer, 4 to 5 minutes per side. During the last 2 minutes, brush chops on both sides with remaining syrup mixture. Remove chops from the grill and let rest for 3 minutes.

Serves 4.

SOFT TACOS WITH PORK-ORANGE ADOBO

2 medium navel oranges

1 teaspoon habanero hot sauce, plus more for serving

¾ teaspoon garlic salt

4 New York (top loin) pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick

8 corn tortillas

1 cup packed shredded iceberg lettuce

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese

Finely grate zest from one orange, then juice orange. Cut peel off remaining orange and cut orange between membranes; set segments aside.

In a shallow glass or ceramic dish, mix orange zest and juice with sauce and garlic salt. Add chops, turn to coat and spoon orange marinade over chops. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes while heating grill.

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat (about 450 degrees). Remove chops from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chops over direct heat until the internal temperature reaches between 145 degrees (medium-rare) and 160 degrees (medium) on a meat thermometer, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chops to cutting board and let rest 3 minutes.

Warm tortillas on grill for about 1 minute on each side; transfer tortillas to plate. Thinly slice chops across the grain. Make each taco with 1 tortilla, half a chop and 1 to 2 orange segments and top with lettuce and queso fresco. Serve with additional hot sauce on side.

Serves 4.

VIETNAMESE PULLED PORK LETTUCE WRAPS

1 bone-in blade pork roast (shoulder), 4 1/2 pounds

1/4 cup Asian hot red pepper sauce, such as sriracha, plus more for serving

1/2 cup Thai or Vietnamese sweet garlic chili sauce, plus more for serving (see note)

16-20 Bibb or butter lettuce leaves

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

Using a thin sharp knife, make shallow crosswise cuts, about 1/2 inch thick, spaced 1 inch apart, all over pork. Place pork on rack in roasting pan (if using aluminum, use two pans, stacked on top of each other). Spread hot pepper sauce all over pork, turning over with tongs to avoid touching sauce. Add ½ cup water to bottom of pan.

Prepare a grill to medium indirect heat (around 350 degrees).

Place pan with pork on the grill over indirect heat. Cover grill and cook, turning pork over after 45 minutes, grilling until the pork is beginning to brown, 1½ hours.

Cover pan and pork with aluminum foil. Continue cooking, with lid closed, maintaining temperature as needed, for 2 hours. Remove and discard foil. Continue cooking in a closed grill, turning pork over after 30 minutes, until pork is fork-tender and the outside if browned, about 1 hour. Remove pan with pork from grill. Cover again with foil and let stand for 30 minutes.

Transfer pork to cutting board. Pour pan juices into a bowl and skim off fat. Use two forks to shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to bowl and moisten with 1/4 to 1/2 cup pan juices. For each wrap, add pork to a lettuce leaf and top with a drizzle of Thai or Vietnamese sweet garlic sauce and sprinkle of carrots. Serve with additional hot sauce.

Note: For substitute for Thai or Vietnamese sweet garlic chili sauce, combine 1/2 cup apricot preserves, 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes and 1 minced garlic clove in a small bowl.

Serves 8 to 10.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at reviewjournal.com and bestoflasvegas.com and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.