This week, Chris is doing up Pork on the Grill!

Pork is a difficult meat to master on the BBQ. Cuts can be fatty and cause flare ups, and others can be so lean that a turn from succulent to sawdust is a matter of seconds. Talk with your butcher and know what you want to do with your cut of pork.

Sausages should always be of the highest quality and in my opinion if you do not make them yourself, find a quality Butcher that can do it for you. It is all about that balance of fat to lean meat and the flavouring is limitless with the right spice blend (yes even tofu can make a good sausage.)

I am a big fan of brining Pork Chops.

Pork Chop Brine
2 cups apple juice or cider
2 Cups of Ice
1 Cup of water
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
4 Sprigs of Thyme
1 Tbsp Orange zest
1 Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)

Bring water and 1 cup of apple juice or cider to a boil. Stir in all remaining dry ingredients and Orange Zest. Pour contents of pot into a bowl with the ice, remaining cider and maple syrup. Once cooled add the Pork Chops and let rest for between 4 to 24 hrs in the refrigerator.

Grill or smoke on your BBQ until you achieve 160F for an internal temperature.

Homemade BBQ Sauces always take your BBQ to the next flavour level so get creative with jelly, jam, and even Root Beer. Play around with recipes until you find your own signature sauce that everyone will be asking for at your next BBQ. This particular recipe give you a nice balance of sweet with a hint of sour. I generally eye ball my ingredients when I make this but here is an estimate of what you should be using.

Root Beer BBQ Sauce.
1 Litre of Root Beer (Do not cheap out…trust me)

1 bottle of strained tomatoes
1?2 tsp grated lemon zest
1?4 cup lemon juice (to taste)
1?4 cup orange juice
2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 1?2 tablespoons light brown sugar (to taste)
1 Tbls molasses
2 cloves
1?4 tsp cinnamon
1?4 tsp ground ginger
1?4 tsp garlic powder
1?4 tsp onion powder
1?8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

(You can add Jalapeno or a Scotch Bonet Pepper for a bit of heat if you so choose.)

Start by reducing the Root Beer in a sauce pan until about ¼ of what you put in remains (be careful not to let it burn). Add remaining ingredients brining to a boil over before reducing heat (or using indirect heat if you do not have a side burner on your BBQ) and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Rotisseries are great for doing up a pork roast. One of the most polarizing types of roast you can do up is a Porketta. Depending on whom you talk to and what area of town they live in you will hear it is Fennel all the way, or it is Dill all the way. Completely up to you and YOUR choice because you are cooking it. There is truly no right or wrong choice with this. The spice blend recipe I am including works with both so make that your first choice when you make this up.

Porketta Spice Bland
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh fennel fronds (the leafs and tender stems) or fresh finely chopped dill…remember this is YOUR choice…one or the other for this recipe.
1/4 cup Kosher salt (more or less to taste)
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Thyme
3 Tbsp chopped fresh Parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh Basil
8 – 12 cloves Garlic, minced (completely to taste so add or subtract to your liking)
Zest of one Orange
Zest of one Lemon
2 tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp coarsely ground Black pepper

Mix all these spices in a bowl. The lemon juice will help to create a paste which is what you want. These Porketta

Roasts are a labour of BBQ love and should not be rushed (yes you can do this in the oven as well). Get a good cut of Pork. Loin is leaner then Shoulder, but Shoulder can have more flavour due to the higher fat content (and if you can find pork belly the crackle that forms from the fat is out of this World). Rub the Roast and work the spice blend into every nook and cranny you can. Depending on the cut you may need to dress it with butcher twine.

Let it mellow in the fridge for 12 – 24 hours. Plan out your BBQ because you will want to take this uncooked roast out of the fridge and gradually bring the temperature up before putting it on the grill at 300F off of direct heat until you get that internal temp of 160F. Use a rack and pan to collect the drippings to prevent a flare up (plus to use as a gravy base.)