Grilled Lime Adobo Rubbed Pork Chops
This delicious paste uses the flavors of Mexico plus fresh lime zest to give the rub a lovely note with enough spice to waken your tastebuds We show you how to make perfect pork chops every time.
Prep Time2 hours hrs
Cook Time18 minutes mins
Course: main dish, Meat
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 408kcal
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano crumbles
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried hot red-pepper flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1 ½-inch-thick bone-in loin pork chops (about ¾ pound each) ***
- a disposable aluminum pan around 17X12X3 for covering chops midway through grilling
- and instant read thermometer
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking with medium-hot charcoal placing the charcoal on one side of the grill.
Stir together all ingredients except pork chops in a bowl to form spice paste, then rub paste all over pork chops.
Cover pork chops with plastic wrap and allow them to marinate, covered and chilled for two hours. 20 minutes before grilling take chops out of the refrigerator.
Light the grill and once it is ready oil the grill rack. Grill the chops over coals, turning over occasionally and moving them around if flare-ups occur, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes total.
Move chops to area with no coals underneath then cover with inverted roasting pan and grill, turning chops over once, until thermometer inserted horizontally into center of a chop (do not touch bone) registers 145F, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer to a platter and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- *** rub will make enough for 4 chops
- Pork can be grilled on a gas grill. Preheat all burners on high covered, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately high and brown chops, covered, turning over occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off 1 burner (middle one if there are 3) and put chops above shut-off burner, then grill, covered, without turning, until thermometer registers 145F, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Pork Chops, rubbed with spice paste, can marinate covered up to 4 hours before grilling.
- Spice paste keeps, covered and chilled, up to a week in refrigerator and frozen for several weeks.
- Adapted from Gourmet Magazine's "Grilled Giant Pork Chops with Adobo Paste"
Serving: 1pork chop | Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 1842mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3955IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 4.9mg