“Oh… The weather outside is frightful…” And BBQ sounds so delightful…

I’ve been on a sausage kick, lately. Well, I’ve been buying a lot of sausage, but looking in the freezer, it doesn’t appear that I’ve been cooking all that much! Somehow, those visions of cassoulets, jambalaya, and Portuguese stew have not translated from grocery store to reality. It’s what I get for rarely shopping with a list, and never making weekly meal plans.

I actually envy people who can decide what they’re going to eat every night of the week and shop accordingly. I just can’t say on Monday that I’m going to be in the mood for meatloaf on Thursday. I figure out on Thursday what I’m in the mood for on Thursday – and then hope I have enough of the ingredients at home that I don’t have to leave the house! (I’m usually pretty lucky!!)

So, opening the freezer on Saturday, I spied andouille sasage, chorizo, Italian sweet and hot… My own little sausage factory.

Out came the andouille.

I was recalling a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit a while back about an andouille BBQ sauce. Off to the computer and in seconds I had it – from August 2005!

Grilled Pork Chops with Chunky Andouille Barbecue Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups diced andouille sausage (about 7 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 6 1-inch-thick rib pork chops
  • Additional chili powder and ground cumin

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium heat). Sauté sausage and onion in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and 1 teaspoon cumin. Bring to boil; remove from heat.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chops on both sides with salt, then chili powder and cumin. Grill chops until cooked through but not dry, about 9 minutes per side.

I actually followed the recipe fairly close, except I used about 3/4 pound of andouille, and I pan-seared the pork chops and then popped them into a hot oven to finish cooking.

I cooked up some Brown Rice Trilogy and some spinach, and dinner was served!

The BBQ sauce is served as a topping to the chop as opposed to actually grilling or cooking it on the meat. It was very slightly sweet, smoky and spicy all at once. Just my kind of dish! And since there are just two of us, I have enough left over for another meal. I’m thinking it would be great over a bone-in chicken breast!

Who knows… maybe next Thursday…..