Charmoula-Marinated Pork Chops with Grilled Pepper Mélange

Don’t feel bad if you don’t know what charmoula is. Neither does spell check. Per Wikipedia, charmoula or chermoula or chrmla is a marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is often made of a mixture of herbs, oil, lemon juice, pickled lemons, garlic, cumin, and salt. It may also include onion, fresh coriander, ground chili peppers, black pepper, or saffron.

In short, it’s delicious.

I found this recipe to be the virgin offering from our brand new BBQ, a new addition to our household as part of our very generous wedding spoils. Our Char-Broil Grill (similar to this) offers both the ability to grill with gas or grill with charcoal, that latter I haven’t done since I was helping my brother when I was 10 years old. Despite BBQ artists who treasure the beauty of a charcoal grilled meal, my memory of charcoal grilling wasn’t very positive. Heating the coals always took longer than my pre-teen patience and hunger pains would allow. Even with my brother’s boy scout skills that built a chimney fire starter out of an old Folger’s coffee can, it would still take what felt like an hour before the coals would get white hot.

Fortunately for me, advancements in technology have made this process so much better. The Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter is a MUST HAVE if you are cooking with charcoal. With just a few dozen Trader Joe’s Hardwood Briquettes and newspaper, you can get the white heated coals in just 15 minutes.  It makes the food prep the time-consuming part. 

Overall, an absolutely wonderful meal. I paired this with grilled potatoes this time but think I will mash them next time. The charcoal grilling was fantastic and my bad memories have now been replaced. 

Charmoula-Marinated Pork Chops with Grilled Pepper Mélange

2014-08-18 00:27:36

Serves 4

Note marinating time of 4-12 hours

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Prep Time

20 min

Prep Time

20 min

Ingredients

1. 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2. 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. 2 T fresh lemon juice
5. 1 T minced garlic
6. 2 tsp ground cumin
7. 1 tsp paprika
8. 1 tsp ground coriander
9. 4 bone-in pork loin chops, each about 8 ounces and 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
10. 3 bell peppers, preferable 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 orange, each cut into 4 planks
11. 1 medium red onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
12. 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
13. 2 tsp cider vinegar
14. 1 tsp granulated sugar
15. 2 T chopped fresh basil leaves
16. 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
17. 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. 1. In a small bowl combine the marinade ingredients. Spread the marinade evenly on both sides of the chops. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
2. 2. Brush the bell pepper planks and onion slices with 3 Tablespoons oil.
3. 3. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°)
4. 4. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the peppers and onion over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until well marked and tender, turning once. The peppers will take 8 to 9 minutes and the onion will take 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the grill as they are done. Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well.
5. 5. Allow the chops to stand at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before grilling. Season the chops with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Grill the chops over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they are still slightly pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the grilled pepper mélange.

By Jamie Purviance

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