Grilled Pork Steaks With Fennel Seed Recipes

SPICY GRILLED PORK WITH FENNEL, CUMIN AND RED ONION

Steps:

• Season pork lightly with kosher salt and put it in a bowl or resealable bag.
• Juice the lime into a blender or food processor and add cilantro, fish sauce, garlic, jalapeño and honey. Blend until the jalapeño and garlic are puréed, then add fennel, cumin, coriander seeds and pulse four or five times to bruise the spices and mix them in.
• Pour mixture over the pork, tossing to coat the pieces. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you heat the grill, or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to cook, heat the grill or broiler with a rack positioned 4 inches from the heat source.
• Thread the pork onto skewers, leaving a little space between cubes. Grill over the highest heat possible, or broil on high, for 2 to 5 minutes, then flip the skewers and continue cooking until the meat is browned all over and charred in spots. It should be just cooked through: A little pink is OK, but there shouldn't be any red spots.
• Serve the pork with cilantro sprigs and onion slices on top, and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Make the brine: Put salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice and fennel seeds in a bowl. Whisk in 4 cups water to dissolve salt and sugar.
• Put pork chops in one layer in a glass or plastic container. Pour brine over to completely submerge chops. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably longer, up to overnight. Remove chops from brine and pat dry. Discard brine.
• Cook the chops: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Set a wide, heavy skillet over high heat and add olive oil. When oil is wavy, add chops in one layer and let brown for about 3 minutes per side.
• Remove chops from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-high and add sliced onion and fennel, stirring to coat with oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and crushed fennel seeds and turn off heat.
• Lay the chops on top of the onion-fennel mixture (alternatively, transfer all of it to a baking dish) and place pan, uncovered, in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the internal temperature of chops is 140 degrees.
• Remove chops and let rest for about 5 minutes. Transfer onion-fennel mixture to a platter and keep warm. Cut chops into 1/8-inch slices and add to platter. Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with fennel fronds. Serve with lemon wedges.

GRILLED PORK STEAK WITH MUSTARD GLAZE

Steps:

• Light the grill: Place a chimney starter on the grate of a charcoal grill. Add newspaper in the bottom, then fill with charcoal. Light the newspaper, which will in turn light the charcoal. When the charcoal is mature with ashed-over gray embers (about 30-45 minutes later), remove the chimney and pour the charcoal into the grill. Using oven mitts, replace the grill rack.
• Season the pork: Set the pork on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush with mustard, then season with pepper and several generous pinches of salt. Flip the meat, press down so it absorbs the seasonings, and repeat on the other side. Sprinkle fennel pollen over the meat on both sides and set aside.
• Grill: Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut into 7 or 8 wedges. Place on the outer edges of the grill, where the heat is indirect, and cook 4-6 minutes, turning halfway through. Lay the pork steaks in the middle of the grill over the hotter, direct heat. Place foil-wrapped bricks on top of the pork to keep the meat's edges from curling. Remove every 2 minutes to flip the meat, then replace bricks. If the meat flares up, move it to another spot on the grill. Halfway through grilling (which will take a total of about 6-10 minutes), baste the pork on both sides with the butter mop, and sprinkle with sugar to aid the caramelization. When the melon and the pork are both nicely charred, switch their locations on the grill: move the pork to the cooler edge of the grill and the melon to the hot center for about a minute, to warm through. Meanwhile, cut the radishes into large slices and set aside.
• Finish the dish and assemble: Grill the pickled garlic scapes for 1-2 minutes. On a serving platter or wooden board, plate the pork steaks, melon, charred garlic scapes, and radishes. Sprinkle everything with fresh lemon juice, a pinch of fennel pollen, and salt. Drizzle olive oil over the melon and scatter torn squash blossoms just before serving.
• For the garlic confit, preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a small saucepan, add the garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon peel, and bay leaf. Cover and bake 1-1½ hours, until the garlic is tender and golden. For the butter mop, heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic confit (the remainder will last, refrigerated, up to two weeks); break it up and let it sizzle, 2-3 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes a thick paste. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking with each addition. Bring the butter to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Whisk in the mustard and black pepper, and set aside until it's time to baste.
• Place 10 garlic scapes in a jar. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; pour the liquid over the scapes to scald them. Seal the jar and place in a cool, dark place for 10 days to ferment.

GRILLED PORK STEAKS WITH FENNEL SEED

Steps:

• Grind fennel seeds and peppercorns using a spice grinder, blender, or mortar and pestle; set aside.
• Trim excess fat from exterior of pork roast and cut, across the grain, into uniform steaks (1/2 - 3/4 inch); set aside and bring to room temperature.
• Rub steaks on all sides with fennel spice mixture.
• Grill steaks, over medium high heat until well browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

FENNEL SEED SPIKED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Toast the fennel seed, rosemary, thyme, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium-low heat until strongly fragrant and the fennel seeds are lightly browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Do not let the spices burn! Place the toasted spices, sea salt, garlic, and ouzo into a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, and grind to a paste. Score the fat layer of the pork roast with a sharp knife; rub the spice paste all over the roast.
• Spread the sliced onions and fennel into the bottom of a large roasting pan; pour enough water into the pan to just cover the vegetables. Place the roast on top of the onions and fennel with the fat layer facing upward.
• Roast in the preheated oven until the pork is tender, 5 to 6 hours (or about 40 minutes per pound). An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 185 degrees F (85 degrees C). Add extra water if needed during roasting to prevent the onions and fennel from burning.

GARLIC FENNEL FLANK STEAK WITH ORANGES

Steps:

• Grind black pepper and fennel seed together in a mortar with a pestle. Pour half the pepper mixture into a small bowl and stir in salt.
• Stir remaining pepper mixture, garlic, rosemary, 2 tablespoons olive oil, orange juice, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl.
• Rub rosemary mixture over both sides of flank steak, poking mixture into steak several times with a fork. Transfer steak to a resealable plastic bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove steak from marinade; scrape off and discard any excess marinade.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Sprinkle reserved pepper-fennel mixture over steak. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over orange halves.
• Cook steak on the preheated grill until it begins to firm and is reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 5 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Remove to a plate to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing across the grain.
• Place oranges, flesh-side down, on the grill and cook until flesh is golden and caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes. Place steak and 3 orange halves on a serving platter. Squeeze remaining caramelized orange half over the steak.