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6월, 2020

pork chops

Up Your BBQ Game

Grill crazy: Weeks of hunkering down indoors have made our backyards look more inviting than ever. Just being outdoors around a table, with a nice meal and a bottle of wine, brings normal life a little bit closer. Pandemic or no, it’s barbecue season, and although you can’t cook for a crowd, you can still wheel out the grill and unleash your inner BBQ chef. Pork shoulder chops are more forgiving than pork tenderloin or loin chops because they’re not as lean. That inner marbling makes them tastier, too, and a garlicky, paprika-laced spice rub infuses them with seasoning all the way through.

As chefs have been telling us, sustainability means using every part of the animal. Shoulder chops need some extra love because they aren’t naturally tender, but a good spice rub works like a brine to tenderize them. These chops get crusty on the grill, and the spice aroma will make you swoon. Pair them with a colorful, crunchy, California nectarine slaw that may well become your go-to side dish for everything grillable.

Not a pork person? Use the same rub on lamb shoulder chops or tuna steaks. The lamb will need 8 to 24 hours to benefit from the rub, but for the tuna, 30 minutes will do. When nectarine season fades, switch to pears, apples, or grapes. A slaw for all seasons!

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BE THE CHANGE

Being a more responsible consumer is a lot easier now than it used to be. We have so many more choices, from plug-in vehicles to organic dairy products to Certified Sustainable wine. Maybe you have decided to purchase only certified organic fruits and vegetables, or you’re delving into the principles behind biodynamics. What’s important is to be engaged and thoughtful about your choices and to take action where you can. Small steps matter. Compost your kitchen scraps. Don’t toss those beet greens. (They’re tasty!)

Read up on sustainability and what it means in California’s vineyards and wineries. Collectively, our choices can drive big change.

The Pour

Which Wine?

A fruit-forward Zinfandel is the perfect match for grilled pork. This big, bold grape variety is no wallflower. It can stand up to the smoky char of the grill and the heady scents of paprika, garlic and fennel. Ask your wine merchant for a medium-intensity Zin with enough concentration to hold its own. Zinfandel thrives in California’s dry and moderately warmer regions, such as the Sierra Foothills, the vineyards around Lodi and the Sacramento Delta, and Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. The variety needs a long growing season to reach the full ripeness that yields wines with spice and depth. View the video to hear a vintner explain why California is ideal for growing Zinfandel.

Meet the Grapes: Explore more wine pairings

Wine Institute is an association of nearly 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses from the beautiful and diverse wine regions throughout the state. Wine Institute works to create an environment where the wine community can flourish and contribute in a positive fashion to our nation, state and local communities. For information please contact communications@wineinstitute.org.