County Fair Pork Chops
We just got back from a local festival and I am coming down off a pork chop high. Does anyone have a recipe for grilled pork chops like they do at fairs and festivals? It was a thick, bone in pork chop, served on a bun.
All I can tell you about it's awesome-ness is it is not BBQtype pork chop, it is not spicy, but incredibly flavorful. They state they use "17 spices" and they were cooked over a grill, the rest is just a haze after that. I'm assuming they were brined as they were very tender.. and did I mention -- they were fabulous!
help me .. i need more and the fair is over tomorrow!
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23 Comments:
Do you have a camera to take a picture of it lol? I never have seen pork chops at fairs here in Seattle. Was the stand you got it from a restaurant or was it a private vendor?
pjracz10 at 7:54PM on 06/06/09
Sorry, no camera, i was packing light and only had money for fair food in my bike pants 8-).
Here in the midwest we grill alot of pork, but it's usually BBQ or sauced. This pork chop sandwichwas a fund raiser for the local school cheerleaders at our town's strawberry festival. I may have to track down a cheerleader parent and bribe them.
TeriN at 8:12PM on 06/06/09
Well if you do and get the recipe please share it. Is this the first time that you had this pork at the fair?
pjracz10 at 9:44PM on 06/06/09
I'm with @pjracz10... Get us the recipe!!!
My only question, "Why bone-in if your using the meat in a sandwich?"
czken at 1:05AM on 06/07/09
My bet is that if they're touting 17 spices, they've probably used some package mix like an Italian salad dressing or something similar. Methinks that a one-time fundraiser would not bring our some sophisticated "chef's secret"...
czken at 1:08AM on 06/07/09
@czken.. here in the southland there is a bone in fried pork chop sandwich. Hubby loves them.
tapioca at 8:55AM on 06/07/09
@czken bone in is more flavorful and also easier and cheaper on the vendor/resteraunt. lots of places serve meats bone in on a sandwich, at least here in the south.
huneybumper at 9:19AM on 06/07/09
Walked up and did a little recon around the site this morning before they opened. This is a yearly event around here and most of the vendors run a well oiled machine; they are not amatures! There were many of those large size spice containters like you get at Sams in the racks, but all the labels were ripped off! GEESH! I'm thinking its seasoned salt, with a few kickers in there to trip me up.
I think bone in meats are always tastier and they were cut well, the bone was more like a handle 8-).
TeriN at 9:50AM on 06/07/09
The Iowa State Fair Pork Producer's booth has pork-chop-on-a-stick, bone in. They are divine. (No carbs needed.)
lemons at 3:44PM on 06/07/09
@TeriN, now you've really piqued my interest... You're going to have to hone your snooping skills or just come right our and beg for a primer on how to cook these things. I'm still having a hard time imagining a pork sandwich with a "handle". Can't you please figure out a way to get a picture posted somewhere? What kind of bread/bun is being used? Is it grilled too? Any condiments or sauces involved in the service? You're conjecturing a brine; any recognizable hints to spicing/seasonings. Does it bear some ethnic flavor; Caribbean, Mediterranean, Classic BBQ, Cajun, Southwestern...?
czken at 3:50PM on 06/07/09
Yes yes you got me going crazy here, please find out what they do with those chops.
pjracz10 at 5:17PM on 06/07/09
After early morning recon, my husband came to me at noon and told me he was "going in", he needed a fix and he was going to WATCH them and BEG them for more information. It is a VERY crowded festival so I pulled to a safe spot and waited while he "went in".
They are a catering firm who does all the fairs/festivals around here. They of course would not divulge their secrets, and my husband is GOOD at getting info. All he got was their business card LOL.
Here's what we know. No Marinade (he watched them pull the one inch bone in pork chop out of a box). No "ethnic" flavor, nada. They are grilled and then finished with some sort of "seasoning" salt. It's hard to say why they are so good. It's just perfectly cooked, quality pork, grilled on a gas grill and seasoned with "salty seasoning", served on a soft burger bun.
I will say they ones we had Saturday were better than Sunday because they sat a bit in a warmer after being pulled from the grill. While on Sunday we went earlier and they were pulling them off the grill to serve. Sitting made them juicer.
That's it folks, they work all the local fairs here and I guess we'll be going to some of them as I try to figure this out on my own.
TeriN at 8:43AM on 06/08/09
Most of these groups use a barbecue spice, used to be done By F.W. Witt Spice company, but they were bought a few years ago, so I don't know if the new owners still have it available. Most regional spice companies used have similar items. It is a blend of salt, sugar and small amounts of over a dozen different herbs and spices including paprika. Similar to a Seasoned salt, but with a higher onion and garlic, as well as a lot more paprika or chili peppers for color and flavor. Used correctly, it is very tasty. I have recipes, but only for 1000 Lbs of spice at a time.
why bone in? it is cheaper, gives you better bun coverage, and a higher profit margin, food service 101, always give the best perceived value.
Meat guy at 8:59AM on 06/08/09
I would agree with your thoughts on the BBQ spices. It was not overwhelmingly garlicy; no one spice "note" carried the flavor. I'm thinking the caterer probably buys and mixes 1,000#'s at a time. It would account for the numerous plastic spice jars sans lables. The BBQ spices you generally get around here have a prominent flavor (i.e., Montreal Steak), this did not, just perfect blend of salty deliciousness.
Thanks @MEATGUY!
TeriN at 9:28AM on 06/08/09
Hey MEATGUY...
It seems Witts spices are now marketed by SPICECRAFT. How important do you think that MSG is in the flavoring? I never use it, but i see it's the second ingredient in most of Witt/Spicecraft shake on seasonings. I'm wondering if that is what makes it so WOW flavor wise. Hmmm.. sad, I don't want to have to go into Grilled Chop re-hab.
TeriN at 11:14AM on 06/08/09
Spicecraft is the retail line of the company that bought Witt.
MSG is extremely important. There is the "fifth Flavor", Umami. THis is triggered by certain Amino acids in food, particularly glutamic acid. This creates conditions in your mouth, stimulating salivation, and also enhancing the perception of certain flavors, animal fats, salt and certain spices, which gives you a fuller richer flavor. The same seasoning, made with and without MSG will taste noticeably different. I worked with a major pork sausage producer over twenty years ago which decided to remove the MSG from their sausage. They didn't advertise this, and after 4 months and a loss of 15% market share they went back and put it back in. I keep a bottle of MSG at home to enhance certain recipes that can use it. And for all of you anti MSG people, don't be upset that I use refined MSG instead of Soy sauce, Parmesan cheese and tomatoes to deliver it naturally all of the time.
Meat guy at 12:22PM on 06/08/09
I'm guessing that they soak their chops in a brine overnight. They may even be brining them a day or two in advance.
Grumpy Old Man at 12:36PM on 06/08/09
You know, I saw Paula Deen go to a Kentucky Colonel Festival on one of her shows and they made this very item! A bone-in, grilled chop on a bun. It looked awesome!
SayWhat at 1:55PM on 06/08/09
Thanks Meat Guy. I really think it is was the MSG enhancement then. Again, there was not any specific taste (cajun, bbq, smokey, spicy, garlic) it was just so freaking flavorful .. and if you MADE me give you the taste profile I would say salt, a yummy salt. So i sent the pictures of the spices to my recon man and he does not think it is the BBQ seasoning.. i'm thinking it just could be the Spicecraft Seasoned Salt.
I've just been learning about this 5th taste (Umani) and it makes sense to me .. there is a depth to the flavoring of certain dishes that only specific ingredients give.
And @GOM, brining was my original thought, but unless the the mfg brined them, they are not brined (Seabord pork btw)
TeriN at 2:12PM on 06/08/09
BTW Paula Deen's chops have a "wet" application .. These grilled pork chops were really nothing more than a pork chop grilled with a sprinkle on seasoning. At least that's all the evidence showed.
They do however look really good and worth grilling!
http://www.grouprecipes.com/sr/13883/kentucky-colonel-barbecue-pork-chops-paula-deen/recipe/
TeriN at 2:21PM on 06/08/09
The barbecue seasoning is really a sweet seasoned salt. Enough paprika to tint it a little more orange than your normal seasoned salt, sweeter than seasoned salt and the spices bumped up just a touch to make it different. It is not your normal recipes you find for a barbecue rub. The key is adding just enough sugar to the blend where you can use more without driving the product into the too salty range.
Meat guy at 4:02PM on 06/08/09
I was just searching for this exact recipe. Keep me up to date on what you find. I will do the same. We had it at the Strawberry Festival also and fell in love with them. I
Here is a pic for those who asked for it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42873250@N00/3618649884/
N8sMom96 at 12:17PM on 06/15/09
I have purchased the seasoning for the pork chops on a stick from 2 different sources: Porky's Delight Seasonings - Smokey BBQ and Riley's All Purpose Seasoning. Internet: porkysdelight.com and rileys-seasonings.com. Hope this helps!
Lake Chef
Lake Chef at 12:30PM on 09/13/09