Day 8: Polynesian Pork Chops

The idea for this recipe comes from the Spirit of Aloha Luau at Disney's Polynesian resort. I say "idea" because it was meant for ribs and I had to alter it slightly to not kill ourselves with salt! You see, the original recipe for the ribs called for a full cup of Kosher salt and for some reason that didn't set off warning bells in my head. I thought since it was in the rub that everything would be OK once I baked the pork and put the pineapple sauce on. Boy was I wrong!!

The first time I made them, I ended up having to boil the chops twice to get the sodium content down to a human level; and even then, if you weren't a huge fan of salt, you'd still gag. I mean, I'm pretty sure animals were trying to get in to use these chops as a salt lick! Not bad, but I know if Jason had had his blood pressure checked, he would have been put on meds. And, the poor dear, not wanting to offend me, pretended he didn't notice the salt. He's sitting there, with pursed lips, saying, "No, these are awesome! I don't know what you're talking about with not being able to eat them!"

So, this time, I left out the salt! Only the teaspoon of celery salt made it in. I figured, if anybody really wanted salt, they could ruin their own. Turns out, the chef that gave out that recipe forgot to scale back that one ingredient to normal kitchen size. Makes sense. I did get a nice apology email from him. Disney is awesome like that!

Anywho, everyone enjoyed these! I had to guard the leftover chop with a knife or I wouldn't have lunch tomorrow! Those bits on the side? Those would be roasted garlic potatoes, peppers and onions. Perfect side dish for these ribs! It was either those or rice and after having pasta for lunch, I wanted to change it up a bit.

Ingredients:

Dry rub:

1 tsp celery salt
2 Tbsp mesquite seasoning
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper

Sauce:

1 cup tomato paste
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
1 cup pineapple juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp caramel
1/4 tsp liquid smoke

Directions:

1. Rub the pork with the dry rub on both sides and refrigerate for 12 hours.

2. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

3. Cook seasoned pork for 1 hour.

4. Cut, while hot, to desired sizes (if you're making ribs, just one bone per piece) and place in baking dish. (Since I was making chops, I just put them on a cookie sheet.)

5. Heat barbecue sauce to a simmer and pour over pork.

6. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in 200 degree F oven for another 35-40 minutes.