Grilled Cajun Pork Chops

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I can't recall exactly when grocery stores got smart about packaging meat, but they did. To be able to get a package with just two pieces of meat like the pork chops I purchased is key for cooking for two people. Despite the fact that the pork wasn't on sale the total for the two chops was $5.37 which was why I grabbed them for one of our dinners.

We served them along side a saute of garden peppers, squash and onions simply done in a saute pan with butter, salt and pepper. You could also use the Cajun spice in the vegetables as well. This made for a very inexpensive dinner which came to $6.27. That's been one of the benefits to having a garden; you don't have to spend much money during the summer for vegetables. Both of us decided no starch was needed, but if you added two baked potatoes your total cost would be $7.07.


The spice rub was the same as I used on the chicken. A Cajun spice blend from Gourmet Warehouse. Now you can make your own spice blend with your pantry of spices. Here's a simple recipe:

Cajun spice blend:

• 2 tbsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated.

For the pork chops you want to make sure they are 3/4 inch pork chops - anything less may just toughen up on the grill.

• Cajun spice rub
• olive oil

1. Rub a little bit of oil on each side of the pork chop.
2. Sprinkle the rub on both sides of the chop and let them "marinate" for at least one half hour.
3. Set up your grill and when the fire is ready grill the chops for about 4-5 minutes per side. The internal temperature should be 145° for safety purposes.