Booker’s Pork Chop Flambé
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Fred Noe, the seventh-generation master distiller who literally grew up in the Jim Beam distillery in the middle of Kentucky. We met over a country ham and Bourbon tasting during which I discovered some new hams and some new whiskeys to add to my growing list of favorite things to eat and drink. Not surprising, I also found out that we share a love of grilling.
Bourbon lovers know the small-batch bourbon, Booker’s, but what they might not know is that the Bourbon is named after it’s creator, Booker Noe, Jim Beam’s sixth-generation distiller and Fred's father. According to his son, Booker’s Bourbon was quite literally, “his baby,” and he made everyone promise not to mess with it once he retired. It is uncut and unfiltered, and a high 127.2 proof which means that it is recommended to drink with a splash of water or an ice cube to enjoy all the nuances of flavor.
And, it also means that the high-proof, uncut spirit makes it ideal for flambé. Booker was famous for his "BourbonQ" and still is as his son keeps the spirit alive by making it often. His signature dish has been made the world over. It is a grilled and flambéd bone-in porterhouse (or t-bone) pork chop. With Fred’s permission, I am calling it, “Booker’s Pork Chop Flambé.”
And, it is not just a schtick, Fred assured me that the bourbon flambé made a difference in the flavor of the pork chop, and he was right. Plus it is a dramatic and fun presentation.
I followed his verbal recipe and purchased two 1-inch thick, bone-in porterhouse pork chops. Each one had a beautiful nugget of tenderloin on one side of the bone, and a thick “steak “ on the other. And they each weighed exactly a pound.
Riffing slightly from Fred's direction, I brushed the pork steaks with olive oil and seasoned them liberally with my own version of Lawry's Seasoning Salt. I didn't have any of the popular spice on-hand, but if I had, I would have used it. I preheated my grill and grilled both sides of the chops over direct heat to mark them. After a couple of minutes, I moved them to a gentler indirect heat. After 30 minutes, the chops were cooked through but still juicy and sported beautiful grill marks.
I placed them on a platter, drizzled them with Booker’s and lit them on fire! The bourbon gravy that is left after the fire burns out flavors every bite of the pork chop. This is my new go-to pork party trick!
Booker’s Pork Chop Flambé
Can be easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd!
Serves 2-4, depending on appetite
Grilling Method: Combo/Medium Heat
2 bone-in Porterhouse Pork Chops, not less than 1 pound each
Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoning Salt or Elizabeth’s Seasoning Salt, or more to taste
2 Tablespoons Booker’s uncut bourbon
Fireplace lighter or long match
Heatproof platter for flambé
Elizabeth’s Seasoning Salt:
2 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
If making your own Seasoning Salt, combine ingredients and store in an airtight container. [Note: you can also use Lawry’s as Booker did.]
Remove pork chops from wrapper. Wrap in paper towels to remove any surface moisture. Brush all over with olive oil and season liberally with Seasoning Salt.
Sear over direct heat for about 2 minutes per side. Turn the middle burner(s) off and place the chops over the burner(s) that has been turned off (this is indirect heat). For charcoal, configure the grill for indirect heat and sear the chops directly over the white-gray ashed coals. Move chops to the center of the cooking grate for indirect heat.
Continue cooking with the lid down for about 25 minutes. Test for doneness, and remove to a flameproof platter. If using a meat thermometer, place thermometer horizontallythrough the chop, not touching the bone and remove from grill at 145° F.
Drizzle Booker’s Bourbon over tops of the chops and light with a long match or Fireplace lighter to flambé the spirit. Let the flames burn out and let chops rest 5 minutes.
Serve with some of the flambé “gravy.”
ALL RECIPES ©ELIZABETH KARMEL 2019
