And just like that, it's July. Can you believe more than half of the year has already passed? It really is true what they say, time goes by faster the older you get. Since January, I have been counting down the days until July 16, the day that I finally get my own kitchen. It is a dream come true. This means I can cook whenever I want, use up all of the fridge space, and no longer have to deal with a dirty kitchen. I'm sure you can sense my excitement. Don't be surprised if you start seeing more recipes posted weekly.

In the meantime, here is a simple but utterly delicious smoky peach mustard grilled pork chops recipe. This is the meal I imagine cooking on a beautiful summer day out on the porch with a cold beverage in my hand. Instead of using a regular barbecue sauce, I incorporated peaches into the sauce to truly embrace the season. These pork chops are marinated, grilled, and then basted to perfection. Serve them with a tomato arugula salad for one complete dinner.

Print Recipe

Peach Mustard Grilled Pork Chops

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork

Servings: 4

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

Smoky peach mustard sauce

• 2 lb yellow peaches
• 1 tablespoon oil
• ½ large onion diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup bourbon optional
• 3 tablespoon honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• 1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 chipotle pepper canned, plus 1 tablespoon adobo juices
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

Grilled pork chops

• 2 lb pork chops
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoon oil

Grilled peaches

• 4 peaches quartered
• oil for brushing

Tomato arugula salad

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 2 cups arugula
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Prepare the smoky peach mustard sauce. Peel the peaches, remove the pit and chop into small chunks. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peaches, and the remaining ingredients for the peach mustard sauce (from apple cider vinegar – dry mustard powder). Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes or until the peaches have softened and broken down. Remove from heat and transfer the sauce to a blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Combine the seasonings for the pork including the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, and oil. Brush the mix on both sides of the pork chops. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Heat the grill to medium heat.
• Cook the pork chops on the grill until deep grill marks form, about 6-7 minutes. Flip the pork chops over and cook on the other side until grill marks form. Brush on the peach mustard bbq sauce on the top side of the pork chops and flip. Cook until slightly caramelized, about 1 minute. Brush sauce on the other side, flip and cook another minute. Remove the pork from the grill and let rest 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush the peaches with olive oil and grill until grill marks form, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Prepare the salad. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Toss cherry tomatoes and arugula with balsamic dressing. Serve the pork chops with the grilled peaches, tomato arugula salad, and extra sauce.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Let's jump right in, shall we? Start by making the peach mustard bbq sauce. You can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance. In fact, it tastes even better the next day. Make sure to peel the fruit to avoid having that leathery skin in the dish.

Saute the onion and garlic until softened and add the remaining ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to low, and continue to let it simmer for 30 minutes. Think of it as making a compote or jam. Remove the sauce from heat once the peaches are soft and blend until smooth.

Pork chops are a lean cut of meat with very little fat. Overcook the meat and it will be tough and well, just not good. In order to avoid this, I like to purchase thick-cut chops, bone-in. In general, meats cooked on the bone tend to have more flavor and more moistness; this also applies to pork chops.

Marinate the pork in the spices and oil. Let it sit for at least 1 hour or up to overnight for the best results. You are going to baste the chops at the end with the peach mustard bbq sauce but marinating them beforehand will impart more flavor.

You can cook the pork chops on an outdoor or indoor grill. I don't have an outdoor grill so I used my grill pan which worked beautifully. Cook the pork chops on one side until deep grill marks form. Flip them over and cook on the other side until deep grill marks form once again. Baste the peach mustard bbq sauce on the pork chops, allowing it to caramelize before flipping it over. Remove the pork from the grill once it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to permeate throughout.

While the pork is resting, grill the peaches and toss together the tomato arugula salad. Serve the peach mustard grilled pork chops with extra sauce,  peaches, and salad. This meal was truly delightful. The pork chops were so juicy despite being lean meat. The sweet and savory peach mustard sauce pairs beautifully with the chops while the grilled peaches add the finishing touch. All in all, the perfect summer meal.

For more peach inspiration check out this bourbon pecan crusted chicken with caramelized peaches!