Grill/Barbecue

Grilled Pork Chops, Fennel & Orange

March  6, 2018
3.5
2 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

Cooking all of a meal’s components on a grill takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll become your go-to. No pots, no pans. The trick is knowing how long each component takes, then staggering or stacking their starting points at your leisure. If you don’t have a grill, a large grill pan or griddle works, too. —Emma Laperruque

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 large orange, preferably organic
  • 2 fennel bulbs
  • 2 bone-in pork chops (about 1 inch thick)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon capers with their brine
  • Honey
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Flaky salt
Directions
  1. Preheat the grill (or grill plate or griddle) to medium-high heat.
  2. Wash and scrub the orange well—you’ll be eating the skin. Cut into thick circles. Set on a plate. Use a vegetable peeler to strip away the tough, outer later of the fennel. Cut lengthwise into eighths—leaving the core still intact. Set on a plate. Set the pork chops on another plate. Drizzle all three components generously with oil, then season with salt and pepper.
  3. This can be done simultaneously or staggered, whatever works with your setup: Grill the oranges for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the skins are tender and the flesh is charred. Grill the fennel for about 10 minutes—4 minutes on each flat side, 2 minutes on its rounded back. It should be soft, slouchy, and charred. Grill the pork chops for about 15 minutes—flipping halfway through, until the outside has colorful grill marks and the meat is cooked through to about 145° F.
  4. To serve: Roughly chop the orange. Combine in a bowl with the parsley, capers, plus a drizzle of honey and splash each of vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt to taste. Drizzle the fennel and pork chops with more olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt. Top both with the orange relish.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Emily Rosen
    Emily Rosen
  • Emma Laperruque
    Emma Laperruque
  • Bigjim
    Bigjim
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

3 Reviews

Bigjim July 7, 2020
Pretty unclear where the capers and honey and vinegar are used. NO mention of capres at all.
 
Emma L. July 8, 2020
Hi, thanks so much for flagging that! Just corrected.
 
Emily R. March 7, 2018
Already tasted with my family!