Steps in Preparation

13:30 – Creating Grits
04:40 – Creating Pork Chops
18:15 – Prepping the Salad
28:20 – Plating of the Meal

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BBQ fun with James Beard Award Winning Cookbook Author Cheryl Alters Jamison

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BBQ Fun that includes Coffee Smoked Pork Chops, Watermelon-Pecan Salad with Sweet Chile Vinaigrette and Red Chile-Pimiento Cheese Grits with James Beard Award Winning Cookbook Author Cheryl Alters Jamison.

Santa Fe Seasons Green Chile Jelly, New Mexican Red Chile Powder
Dressing: 1/2 cup jalapeño or green chile jelly, 1/4 cup white vinegar
Salad: 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, 5 to 6 cups arugula, 5 heaping cups 1-inch cubes of watermelon, 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
Pimineto Cheese Grits: 1 teaspoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt, 1 Tablespoon ground medium-heat red chile, such as New Mexican or ancho, 1 cup coarse-ground grits or polenta, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 8 ounces (1 cup) pimiento cheese, 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pork Chops: 1/2 cup finely ground coffee, 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons kosher salt or coarse sea salt, 2 Tablespoons ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cayenne or New Mexico red chile powder

Ingredients and Tools available at the School of Cooking

(15″ x 11″ x 3.5″)

Watermelon-Pecan Salad with Sweet Chile Vinaigrette - Serves 6

From Perini Ranch Steakhouse: Stories and Recipes for Real Texas Food, by Lisa and Tom Perini with Cheryl Alters Jamison

Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup jalapeño or green chile jelly
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar

Salad:

  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • 5 to 6 cups arugula
  • 5 heaping cups 1-inch cubes of watermelon
  • 1 cup blue cheese crumbles

  1. To make the vinaigrette, put the jelly and vinegar in a lidded jar. Cover and shake well.
  2. To make the salad, toast the pecans in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  3. Arrange the arugula on a platter or on individual salad plates. Divide the watermelon cubes over the arugula. Shake the dressing before spooning half of it on top of the arugula and watermelon. Top with the blue cheese crumbles and pecans. Pass the remaining dressing.

Red Chile-Pimiento Cheese Grits - Serves 6

From Texas Q: 100 recipes for the Very Best Barbecue from the Lone Star State by Cheryl Alters Jamison

If you need speed, you can substitute quick-cooking (5-minute) grits, reducing their cooking time and the quantity of water needed, but please avoid pablum-like instant grits.

Preheat oven to 300º

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt
  • 1 Tablespoon ground medium-heat red chile, such as New Mexican or ancho
  • 1 cup coarse-ground grits or polenta
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces (1 cup) pimiento cheese
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

  1. Oil a medium baking dish.
  2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. When the water reaches a rolling boil, add the salt and red chile. Then add the grits gradually, a handful at a time, stirring them in before adding the next handful. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and cook the grits until thick and soft, about 30 minutes. Give the grits a stir up from the bottom every few minutes, more frequently toward the end, to avoid scorching.
  3. Remove the grits from the heat and stir in the butter, pimento cheese, and eggs. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until lightly set and slightly brown. Let the grits sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes, then cut into soft-textured wedges or squares.

Espresso-Rubbed Pork Chops - Serves 6

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 to 55 minutes

  • 6 bone-in center-cut pork chops, 1/2 -inch to 3/4 -inch thick
  • 1/4 cup Jolt dry rub (below)
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

  1. Massage the chops with the Jolt rub.
  2. Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 225°F to 250°F.
  3. Warm the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Quickly sear the chops on both sides and transfer to the smoker (without the skillet). Cook the chops 45 to 55 minutes, until their internal temperature reaches 155°F on an instant-read thermometer. Serve hot.

Jolt - Makes about 1 cup, Serves 6

  • 1/2 cup finely ground coffee
  • 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons kosher salt or coarse sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cayenne or New Mexico red chile powder

  1. Mix the coffee, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and cayenne or NM red chile powder thoroughly in a bowl.
  2. Store in a cool dark pantry.