Grilled Honey Thyme Pork Chops

I came across this recipe on Pinterest a few days back, and I knew I had to try it.  I love using honey these days for baking as well as cooking.   It's been pretty hot the past few days, so I wanted to grill outside, and these pork chops were perfect.  This is a pretty simple recipe, but you do want to be very careful when grilling not to let them burn.  Honey makes the grill flame up more than other marinades, so watch the meat closely and be sure to use a medium/low temperature so as to not char them.  Luckily, I monitored these carefully and they turned out great!  Here is what I did:

Grilled Honey Thyme Pork Chops
(serves 2-3)

• 3 pork chops (I used boneless)
• 4 T raw honey
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 t mustard (I used dijon- try to use grain/course varieties)
• 1/4 t onion powder
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1-2 t fresh thyme, chopped
• kosher salt & pepper

Preparation
In a bowl, combine honey, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and thyme.  (FYI: Instead of fresh olive oil and thyme, I tossed in 2 of my frozen thyme cubes and allowed them to melt into the mixture)  Coat the chops in salt & pepper on both sides.  Pour the honey mixture over top and allow them to marinade for at least 5 minutes. 

Heat your grill to medium (not too hot- you don't want them to char!), and cook for about 8-10 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked through.

These chops are super flavorful and really juicy!  I served them with my Mashed Sweet Potatoes and some salad, and the meal was delicious.  I am sure you could use this marinade with chicken, and you could do it in the oven too during the winter.  For us, the grill was perfect, and I hope you can try it out!