I don’t care what time of day. Or day of the week. I’m scarfing these double-thick cowboy-cut, tomahawk duroc pork chops!
Beer brined overnight, then seasoned in a brown sugar, chili and smoked paprika rub, before rolling these “hawks” around their edges in a robust blend of finely ground coffee beans and toasted spices – these two-toned chops are layered in flavor, aesthetically impressive and ready to be laid to flame.
For the perfect result every time, I prepare a multi-zone grilling surface in my Twin Eagles Grill. The far left burner is dialed up to the max, the middle burner is set on mid range and the far right turned down to it’s very lowest setting. The chops were first placed over the coolest, indirect grill grates, intermittently basted, flipped and rotated, slowly elevating to 130F internal temperature. In the final minutes of cooking, these glorious hunks of bone-in pork were moved over the directly heated stainless steel grill grates – charring the exterior of the pork until the internal temperature reached 145F.
After resting for 10 minutes, these steaks were splashed with a fruity olive oil and garnished with an aromatic garden of fresh herbs, then served alongside a platter of root vegetables, an apple-caramelized walnut salad, and two handfuls of crisp, ice cold craft-brewed amber ales.
Life in the great north of wild Michigan doesn’t get much better than this. -Cheers, David
Reverse-Seared Tomahawk Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 Bone-in Tomahawk Pork Chops
- Olive oil
- 1/2 cup sweet and spicy barbecue rub, homemade or pre-made
- 1 cup regular coffee, finely ground
- 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons roasted garlic powder, granulated
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground peppercorn, to taste
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from steaks, rinse meat in cold water, and pat dry. Brine overnight in a chilled bath of 3:1 water to beer, plus 1 cup salt and 1 cup sugar. Remove tomahawks from brine 2 hours before cooking and rest on counter until near room temperature.
- Preheat grill using the two-zone method by turning burners to high on one side of the grill while leaving the other side off. Meanwhile, rub the pork in olive oil, season liberally with the BBQ rub, then roll the tomahawk edges in a blend of the coffee grounds, garlic, onion, and pepper. Season additionally, to taste, with kosher salt.
- Lay the chops over coolest grill grates, bating, rotating and turning intermittently until internal temp registers 130F. Move to hottest, directly heated grill grates and char beautifully, until internal temp has achieved 140F. Remove from the grill, loosely tent with tin foil for 5-10 minutes and allow carry-over energy stored in the steaks to finish the cook – serving temperature at 145F.
- To plate, carve tomahawks alongside the bone, removing the meat, then slice the steak in 1/2" cuts across the grain and on a bias. Plate the chops atop a bed of charred vegetables and alongside a beautiful fall salad. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
Notes
