A Migration Celebration With Marination

 

Hi folks, I'm your host, Chef G., and I'm happier than a pelican with a dozen perch in his pouch.  The reason for my pelican joy is that I'm about to share another very special recipe right here on my amazingly successful cooking show--The Chef G. Cooking Channel.

Would you like to know how amazingly successful the show is?  It's SO amazingly successful that we are now airing our 74th episode.  That's one more than the acclaimed show "Game of Thrones."  I've never seen a single minute of that show, but I do know it was wildly popular.  It wasn't popular enough, though, to get past the 73-episode mark.  Tough luck.

Anyway, my ratings are better than ever, thanks in particular to my food poisoning episode.  That one pulled in over a hundred viewers, which is a number that Chef Gordo Ramses and all my other celebrity chef competitors can only dream about.

************

I'd like to go back to the subject of happy pelicans for a minute.  I was out riding my bike along the Mississippi River yesterday and I saw many of those big white birds gleefully soaring all over the sky.  Ah yes, that reminded me the fall migration season is in full force.  

Next, I passed an island just offshore.  It was filled with thousands of birds representing several different species.  I was so impressed with the scene that I filmed and narrated a couple of 90-second videos.  They have nothing to do with cooking, but I hope you watch them anyway.

Okay, I admit the first video wasn't all that exciting.  The real action takes place in the next video.  Check it out.

************ 

If you watched the videos, you're probably thinking the main dish for today's episode will be grilled pelican or grilled seagull.  I'm proud to say you'd be wrong.  

Today's show will be about grilled pork chops.  I know, I know, ANYBODY can grill pork chops.  But the real star of the show is what separates MY pork chops from the pork chops grilled by the average backyard chef.  That would be the delicious marinade I concocted for maximum flavor enhancement.  

The marinade idea came from a comment I received on my last post.  It got me to wondering, "have I ever marinated anything in the past 73 episodes?"  If so, it didn't immediately come to mind.  Therefore, to celebrate migration season, here we go with my latest creation: 

HONEY-SOY-GINGER MARINATED PORK CHOPS a la CHEF G 

With a title like that, the first step HAD to be the preparation of the marinade.  It's a Chef G. original.  I could make a lot of money by charging a fee for the recipe, but I'm going to provide it to my loyal fans for free.  So, all I can add is that it will be worth your time to pay close attention. 

I'm a hands-on chef, so I put the ginger and garlic in my hand before mincing up a half-tablespoon of each.

These are the liquids I used.  One tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of full-sodium soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Hands-on display of a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of red chili pepper flakes.

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk the hell out of the mixture.

I gotta tell ya, my marinade looked good enough to drink right out of the bowl.  Good thing I had enough self-restraint to save it for the next important step.

I put a couple of pork chops into a zip-lock baggie and added the marinade.  I soaked the pig meat in the marinade for two hours.  The pork chop in the other baggie is for Mrs. Chef G.  She is a fine gal in so many ways, but her food tastes are rather bland.

After the two hours of marination, I transferred the meat to my charcoal grill.  Immediately, the hot coals got my tasty pork chops a-sizzling.  It smelled so good.  Yet I felt sorry for Mrs. Chef G's portion.  I mean, it looked sickly and pale.

Well, if that's how she likes it, that's how she likes it.  Who am I to contradict her?

In the end, Mrs. Chef G. enjoyed her plain pork chop, and I absolutely LOVED my enhanced pork chops.  Like a wolf, I gnawed the meat right down to the bone after taking this picture.

My dog, Arlo, took one look at my pork chop and also wanted to gnaw it to the bone.  I restrained him, but I must admit I gave him a couple of small pieces.

That concludes Episode #74 of The Chef G. Cooking Channel.  Episode #75 is next, and it seems worthy of an extra special dish for an extra special occasion.  A 75th celebration is often called a "diamond jubilee."  I'm open to food suggestions for the big event.  Thank you.