Pina Colada Pork

Couponing for the win! I needed a recipe that would feed a full table while on vacation at the coast. I also had a money-maker deal on frozen juice concentrate. Skimmed through my Taste of Home magazine and my eyes fell upon this recipe. It was fate. 

• 1 can (10 oz) frozen, nonalcoholic pina colada mix, thawed and divided
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops (15 oz each)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp cold butter

Salsa

• 2 medium kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 medium banana, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 medium ripe avocado, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 tsp fresh basil, minced

Place 3/4 cup pina colada mix in a shallow dish. Add pork; turn to coat. refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine broth, remaining pina colada mix, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, until liquid is slightly thickened, 10-12  minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter, 1 Tbsp at a time, until creamy. If needed, return pan briefly to very low heat to soften the butter (Do not allow the butter to melt completely or sauce may separate). 

Drain pork, discarding marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, over medium-high heat or broil 4 inches from heat until thermometer reads 145 degrees, 6-8 minutes on each side. Let stand 5 minutes. 

Mix salsa ingredients. Slice pork chops; serve with salsa and sauce. 

NOTES: Annoying part about this recipe is that there isn't too much you can do ahead of time. Bananas and avocado get nasty if you don't use them right after cutting, and I get nervous leaving citrus juices mixed with anything else ever since I found out citrus juice can cook fish, just by sitting on it. 

I re-ordered the instructions a little, to make it easier to figure out what you can do to multi-task while the meat is marinating. In all, it was a pretty good recipe. Completely different from anything I've had before. 

Serves 8

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes + 1 hour marinating

Recipe from Taste of Home