Lemon-Thyme Kitchen Grilled Boneless Pork Chops
Here is how to use an electric kitchen grill to make elegant, delicious Lemon-Thyme Boneless Pork Chops. These are prepared with a marinade of lemon juice and fresh thyme, although you may use dried thyme instead of fresh.
Here is how to use an electric kitchen grill to make elegant, delicious Lemon-Thyme Boneless Pork Chops. These are prepared with a marinade of lemon juice and fresh thyme, although you may use dried thyme instead of fresh.
- Carbohydrate 0.228005 g
- Cholesterol 123.95 mg
- Fat 12.85407 g
- Fiber 0.12525 g
- Protein 39.917455 g
- Saturated Fat 4.536726 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (186g)
- Sodium 88.894 mg
- Sugar 0.102755 g
- Trans Fat 1.16482 g
- Calories 288 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the two boenless pork chops in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle lemon juice geneously on the top, bottom, and between the two chops.
- Place a spring of thyme (or dried thyme) on the top and bottom and between the chops.
- Rub the thyme to infuse some of the flavor into the pork chops.
- If you have time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the pork chops marinate for 10 to 12 hours, occasionally rubbing the thyme into the chops.
- If you don't have time, you may skip the actual marinating, and you will still get a lot of lemon and thyme flavor.
- When you are ready to grill the pork chops, start heating your electric kitchen grill, putting the drip cup in place.
- Remove any thyme springs and pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel.
- Now, lightly sprinkle the tops and bottoms of the two pork chops with meat tenderizer. (This will serve as salt, also.)
- Next, grind some fresh black peppercorns over the top and bottom of each pork chop.
- Finally, (with your fingers) spread extra virgin olive oil over the top and the bottom of each pork chop.
- Place the pork chops on your heated kitchen grill, and close the grill.
- Open the grill after a few minutes to check on the pork chops, and rearrange, if needed.
- You may turn them, if you like.
- Close the grill, and let them continue to cook until completely done.
- For 1/2-inch pork chops, this won't take long--about 8 to 10 minutes total cooking time.
- The pork chops are done when they are cut with a knife and the meat is white.
- Be sure to cook pork *completely*!
- These pork chops are very elegant for serving with a fancy meal for two, and the lemon and thyme give a subtle, but tangy flavor that is just the best!!!
Indoor electric contact grills require deliberate oil application on the meat rather than the hot plates to prevent scorching. Boneless pork chops measuring half an inch thick demand precise thermal management to avoid interior dryness. Acidic marinades containing citrus juice break down surface proteins rapidly, meaning ten to twelve hours of contact is the upper limit before the outer layer turns mushy. Patting the meat completely dry with paper towels prior to applying oil and pepper guarantees proper heat transfer and surface browning. Electric clamshell grills cook from both top and bottom simultaneously, reducing total cooking time down to eight to ten minutes for cuts of this thickness. Slicing leftovers cold for sandwiches or grain bowls preserves moisture better than reheating, which easily drives out residual internal juices. Excess cooked pork keeps safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Re-crisping chilled slices in a skillet requires medium heat for merely sixty seconds per side to avoid toughening the lean protein. Thyme leaves release volatile aromatic compounds more effectively when bruised against the meat fibers before the resting phase. Extra virgin olive oil provides the necessary fat barrier to conduct heat evenly across the ridges of a contact grill.
