About the steak sauce. There are many different brands and they all have different flavor profiles, but what we want here is the meaty depth of savoriness that they call umami, so use whatever you have on hand.
In half of North Carolina barbecue sauce is practically clear with cayenne pepper flakes that flurry in it like a snow globe. In other parts of the state it is practically pink. In much of South Carolina it is yellow. In many dingy brown joints of Texas it is close to brown with big chunks of green peppers and other flotsam in it. And in a corner of North Alabama it is white with black pepper flecks. In Memphis the “sauce” comes from a shaker and is no more liquid than the paprika that is its backbone.
“In consumers’ opinions, food that’s grilled tastes better and
it’s fun to do,” Wheeler said. “You can have friends join you
around the grill outside and it’s great because there are no pots
and pans to clean.”
Optional. If you are cooking indoors, or if your meat does not have a lot of smoke flavor, or if you just want more smoke flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke. Attention barbecue snobs: Go ahead and slam me if you want.
Crossing the Pacific, Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat’s “The Japanese Grill” captures a grilling culture in which fiery cooking is a revered art form — whether it’s done with a giant porterhouse steak or marinated squid or mild shishitso peppers on a skewer. Many of the flavor combinations begin with soy sauce, including essential teriyaki sauce. In the U.S., it’s one of those sauces where people usually reach for a bottle of premade stuff. But the basic sauce has just four ingredients — soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar — and can be made in about five minutes. And, like these other sauces, it’s just a fraction of the cost of a manufactured version. Grant Butler: 503-221-8566; gbutler@oregonian.com; follow him at twitter.com/grantbutler.
DIRECTIONS: Mix the
oil, vinegar and rosemary. Season the chops with salt and pepper.
Coat the chops evenly with the oil mixture. Let the chops stand at
room temperature while the grill heats. Set the grill to medium,
approximately 350 degrees. Grill chops 10 minutes per side or until
internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.