Coffee & Cocoa Pork with Blueberry Sauce

This is one of the most interesting, fun, and flavorful pork dishes to have ever graced my palate.  I have always been drawn to the sweet and savory combinations of meat with fruit - roasted turkey with cranberries, whiskey-peach chicken, halibut with fruit salsa - to name a few.  

This dish caught my eye immediately when I glanced upon its visual artistry and sweet & savory appeal on the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's, blog.  The recipe itself was created by follower of her blog who submitted it for a contest, and, of course, won (what a dream that would be!).

I recommend trying this recipe out in your own kitchens as soon as possible.  It is an explosion of flavors and textures.  The fresh herb choices (thyme and chives) are real winners for this dish.  The crispy coffee-cocoa rub compliments the tender pork in a fabulous way.  The sweet and tangy blueberry sauce is so, so good that you will not believe it was so simple to create, involving only 3 ingredients.  The sauce also adds the most beautiful, exquisite touch to the whole dish.

Bon Appetit!

Coffee & Cocoa Pork with Blueberry Sauce
Source:   Naylet LaRochelle's, "On the Ranch Coffee-Rubbed Blueberry Thyme Pork Chops",
Website:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/05/grillin-recipe-contest-winners/

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork loin chops, about 3/4" thick
2 T. ground (dark roast) coffee beans
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 cup blueberry preserves
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp. (or more to taste) red pepper flakes
2 T. fresh chives, chopped
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

The Process:
In a small bowl, combine the following:  coffee, cocoa, coriander, thyme, and salt.  Once everything has been mixed together with a spoon (or your hands, my preferred method), rub over both sides of the pork.  Press the mixture into the meat to work in the flavor a bit more.   Transfer the pork chops to a plate, and cover until ready to grill.

In another bowl, stir together the blueberry preserves, hoisin sauce, and red pepper flakes.  If you are not buddies with hoisin sauce yet, I would highly recommend you start that friendship.  An Asian cuisine barbecue sauce of sorts, once you try it, you will find sneaky little ways to bring it back into other recipe favorites, I promise you.  You will both be in a committed bond for life.

Grill the chops until pink in the center, about 11-14 minutes.  You can brush on a bit of the blueberry sauce during the last minute or two of cooking, or you can wait until the pork has finished cooking, and it has been transferred back to the kitchen.  We waited, as we did not want little precious blueberries falling into a dark oblivion below the pork, never to be seen or heard from again.

Once the pork is cooked, spoon the sauce over each piece and top with freshly chopped chives. 

How beautiful is this?