Simmer Stock - Kitchen scripts: Mambo Kings Pork Chops

Mambo Kings Pork Chops

When I first read “The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love” the only thing I liked about the book was the pork chops. The older brother, Cesar Castillo obsessed about (among other things not mentionable on a website that my mom reads) pork chops, and the author, Oscar Hijuelos described them in an incredibly sensual manner. The pork chops were salty and meaty and rich with garlic and tangy from lemon and... and... I mean... when I read that book I really really wanted some pork chops (and black beans and yucca, along with some tostones). I finally found the perfect recipe in a book called “A Taste of Cuba” and it involves a head of garlic (with a little trick to keep the kick from going over the top), pork, salt, lemons and a little bit of thyme. What more could you ask for?

Grilled Cuban Pork Chops

1 head garlic
1 tsp. freshly minced thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 tbs. kosher or sea salt (2 tsp. if using table salt)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large or 2 small lemons)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup oil (canola, olive, corn, whatever turns your pages)
3 - 4 lbs. 1/2 - 3/4 inch pork chops (I actually prefer the chops with bones, but boneless is easier to work with). Cayanne Pepper to taste (I use 1/4 tsp. and the kids will eat the porkchops. I'd probably like a 1/2 teaspoon more, though)

Blanch Your Garlic

A whole head (1/2 to 3/4 cups) of garlic is a lot of garlic, even for a marinade, and even for me. To tame the bite of the garlic and bring out more garlic flavor (think of the butter richness of roasted garlic), we blanch the garlic before mincing it up for the marinade. Peel the garlic cloves, drop the whole cloves in a small saucepan, add water to cover, heat to a boil, and simmer for about five minutes. Run the cloved under cold water to cool them down. Smash the garlic cloves on your cutting board with the flat side of a chefs knife and then mince the mush up fine.

Marinate Your Meat

In a ceramic or glass bowl (a stainless steel bowl will work, but avoid plastic, cast iron or aluminum. I actually use a CorningWare casserole dish) mix all of the marinade ingredients (that's, like, everything but the pork). With a meat pounder/mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet pound the pork chops thin (about 1/4" is good). Toss the meat in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but try not to go more than 8 hours (overnight and you end up with mushy chops).