There have been lots of stories about homesick Texans in New York throughout the years, but some of my favorites are about Bud Shrake. He was a Texan writer who lived in New York in the 1960s when he worked at Sports Illustrated and a few years ago Texas Monthly published some of his letters to his friends and family back home.
He was a wild guy, so the letters are colorful and lively, filled with lots of anecdotes about both the writing life and the New York nightlife back then. He also had a voracious appetite and liked to write about food. Like so many homesick Texans in New York, he would lament the dearth of good Texan food and whenever he did find something that reminded him of home, he and his fellow Texans in New York would rejoice.
When discussing his beloved dishes from Texas, one he goes on about is pork chops. He loved pork chops. And it was his passion that reminded me I also love them and it had been too long since I’d had one. When I was young, we ate them fairly regularly at home but I realize I don’t make them nearly enough, and that’s a shame, as they’re not very expensive and yet when cooked well can be as succulent and satisfying as a steak.
There are several different ways to make pork chops but one of the quickest and easiest I’ve found is simply broiling them. You just season the chops, slide them under the broiler for a spell, flip them once, and in almost no time they’re done.
While a good, thick pork chop doesn’t need much more than a light dusting of salt and pepper, this time of year when people take to their backyards and fire up their grills, I like to spread some barbecue sauce onto my chops before broiling in order to introduce some of that smoky, sweet, outdoor flavor into my indoor dining experience. And since nothing says summer like peaches, one sauce I like to use in the warmer months is my jalapeño peach barbecue sauce.
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