Pork Chops with Lime and Cherry Sauce

I love cherries and I love how they are so versatile too. You can eat them one after another by just popping them in your mouth, or you can bake them into to breads or desserts, or you can prepare savory dishes with them too. Any which way you prepare them, they are always going to turn our great. They add so much flavor to any dish.

Cherries are what are known as stone fruits, or fruits that have a flesh or pulp enclosing a stone, such as a peach, plum, or cherry. They are also known as drupes. The pit is often referred to as the stone or the pit too. Cherries are very healthy and are loaded with Vitamin C and fiber. Cherries are grown all over the world and are used for many different foods, but the top cherry producing areas are Turkey, the United States, Iran, Spain, and Italy. In the United States, some of the important sweet cherry cultivars are Rainier, Bing, Ulster, Tulare, Brooks, and King. I love all the cherries, but I think the Bings are my favorite.

I have been in a cherry mood lately. As you know, I just made a whole bunch of mini cherry scones for my church coffee cart. Mini Cherry Scones They were a huge success. I served them with a bunch of other nibblies, and by the end of our church gathering, all that was left on my try were just a few tiny morsels. Everything else was graciously devoured. I also made some cherry brownies not to long ago as well that I gave to our new neighbors, that were yet another huge success. Being Neighborly And most recently, I turned my cherries into a delicious savory meal as well, by using them as a sauce with pork chops.

I love the combination of cherries and lime. They have such a unique flavor. I love them both on their own, and I also love them when combined together. For my sauce, that is exactly what I did too. I combined cherries, lime juice, cilantro, green and red onions and my hot and spicy honey. Our taste buds were most definitely doing the happy dance with this one.

We almost always buy a big pork loin and then slice our own pork chops form it, leaving a large portion as a pork loin too. This way, we can make our pork chops nice and thick, just how we like them. Once again, Costco, only my favorite place to shop. 🙂

Pork Chops with Cherry Lime Sauce

2 lbs thick-cut pork chops

1 TBSP garlic

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin

1-2 cup cups cherries, cut in half and pitted

1/3 cup lime juice

1- 2 tsp lime peel, optional

1 TBSP hot and spicy honey

3 TBSP lime olive oil, or just plain olive oil

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Combine everything together and use as a marinade for the pork. Let it marinade for at least 3-4 hours before cooking, making sure to turn the pork over after about 2 hours.

Once you are ready to cook the pork, put it on a hot grill and grill it to perfection.

While the pork is cooking, cook down the sauce on the stove. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook down, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes.

When both the pork and the sauce are ready, it is time to serve it up. I served it over lime rice with asparagus on the side. I completed the meal with a cool, crisp chardonnay. (This is some of the wines I bought when I was in Idaho, back in April. Hitting the Caldwell Wine Trail) It was so colorful and tasty and a perfect summer meal.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.