The great people at POM recently sent me a case of 100% pomegranate juice, again, bless their hearts! I love this stuff, but instead of just drinking it and enjoying it that way, I wanted to try cooking something with it.

I got a couple of really nice bone-in pork chops and an ambercup squash to start with, and got the grill going with a 3 zone fire. I cubed the squash and added some brown sugar and chipotle flakes, letting the sugar coat the squash on skewers. The chops got some salt and pepper along with some diced up cherry peppers.

The chops went on the hot part of the fire to get a but of crust built up, then were moved over to the medium heat fire, and the squash joined them on the grill on the cooler part of the fire, so the sugar wouldn’t burn.

While the grill was chugging along, I sauteed a shallot, then added 8 ounces of pomegranate juice and a couple tablespoons of port, along with some salt and pepper. I let the sauce reduce a bit, then added 1/2 tsp of cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit.

Back to the grill, I moved the squash over to the hot part of the fire, just briefly, to caramelize the sugar a bit. Then everything came off the grill, and the chops rested for a few minutes. I topped the chops with the sauce, added a squash on the side, and served.

The sauce was great with the chops, easy to make, and definitely a good use of pomegranate juice! Pork and POM go really well together! Next, I’ll be using POM for a sauce for Thanksgiving…