It’s cherry season, specifically Flathead Cherries! I couldn’t resist making a sauce to go along with my gorgeous cut of local pork chops from The Cloven Hoof. Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry Wine Sauce could be the perfect end of summer meal, lots of great vibrant flavors and grilling is easy when everything can be prepared in no time. This is a crowd pleaser for company or for a night in with family.
Supporting local businesses has become a passion of mine since moving to Missoula, MT. Sure, California offered up a bevy of hipster feeling farmers markets and locally sourced ingredients that was probably from some huge distributor anyways. I couldn’t help but feel how impersonal that experience was. Until I came to Montana where you meet the butcher, the farmer, the forager, and they all are the same friendly face you see week in and week out. Completely different experiences and now I realize how rewarding it feels to support these local farmers. I know exactly where everything came from that I’m putting on a plate, not to mention everything is absolutely delicious.
Quite the tasty haul from our local farmers market. A tomato recipe is next!
Buy local, eat local.
Flathead cherries are the Montanans most sought after fruit. Locally grown east of Flathead Lake and absolutely delicious. People make wine {yes way}, jam, sauces galore and dedicate a whole festival out of these sweet little treats. Today we’re making a simple wine sauce to complement some simple grilled pork chops. Simple enough but oh so yummy. Dinner will be ready in no time. Now lets get after it.
Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry Wine Sauce
Savory and sweet, this sauce pair perfectly with a local grilled pork chop.
Ingredients
- 4 Pork Chops, bone in and 1 inch thick
- Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper, for seasoning
- 2 cups Cherries, seeded
- 1 1/3 cup Red Wine, {Cabernet Sauvignon is a great bold fruity wine for this}
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice, {about a wedge of lemon}
- 4 tablespoons Cold Butter, cubed
- Chopped Parsley, for garnish
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat your grill to high heat.
- Step 2 Pat pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook pork chops on the hottest part of the grill, 4-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness. Pork is cooked when just firm to the touch and internal temperature reaches 135 degrees F. {An instant read thermometer comes in handy and is a great investment for perfectly cooked meat.}
- Step 3 Remove pork and tent with tin foil and allow to rest as you make the sauce.
- Step 4 In a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat add the cherries, wine, vegetable stock, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in lemon juice. Slowly start adding the butter and stir into the sauce until melted and sauce is nice and shiny.
- Step 5 Serve pork chops immediately with the sauce and top with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
