Maple Glazed Pork Chops, Pecans & Green Apples

Happy Girl meets Grill Friday!!My husband, Steve, requested an "American" dinner before he left for a 10-day work trip to China. I wanted to make something sweet, tangy, and Southern. We ran out of propane for our grill, so I had to use my Le Creuset grill pan. It still can serve up the best summertime dishes.

ingredients

2 Bone-In French Center Cut Pork Chop (.97 lbs)

1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 3/4 slices

1/2 cup of Maple Syrup

2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided 

2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/4 cup of pecan halves

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

preparation

Season both sides of the pork chops with salt, fresh ground pepper and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Preheat the grill to 350 to 400 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

In a skillet over medium high heat, stir in the pecans and 2 tablespoons maple syrup mixture making sure to coat the pecans. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the pecans are glazed.  Make sure to stir often to avoid burning the pecans. Arrange the pecans on parchment or wax paper. Set aside. When the pecans are cooled, chop them coarsely. 

Place pork chops on the grill and cook for about 8 minutes a side or until the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. During the last few minutes of grilling, bast with 1/4 cup of maple syrup glaze. Make sure you don't burn the glaze! Place the apples on the grill during basting, and cook for about 5 minutes. Make sure to turn and brush with 1/8 mixture of maple glaze. Plate the grilled pork chops and apples, sprinkle the top of the grilled pork chop with chopped pecans and you can add remaining maple syrup glaze over the chops. Serve immediately! Enjoy!