Grilling meat on a sheet… that doesn’t sound right to me. Shouldn’t the meat be touching the grill? Surprisingly it didn’t have to!
When I was introduced to COOKINA Reusable Grilling Sheet I was also proposed with the question “what’s on your grill”?
I think for many people the thought of leftover grease and remnants of previous grilled edibles crusted on the racks or interior of the grill come to mind. I take pretty good care of my grill (I’ve learned my lesson of not cleaning it well the hard way), but I also think the high temperature from the next time I use it will kill all the germs and bacteria, if any (and there are for sure). But fact of the matter is: an unclean grill is an unclean grill.
I admit, I also have my lazy days when I just don’t want to clean and convenience takes priority, so that’s when the COOKINA grilling sheet comes in handy. It makes for easy clean up because everything cooks on the non-stick sheet and the sheet is easy to clean.
In this day of age, a new product should be environmentally friendly too, and if this reusable grilling sheet can help eliminate the use of disposable aluminum foil (which I would use before for some items that might fall through the racks), then let’s test it out.
I was a bit worried about sacrificing flavour of the meat if I wasn’t going to get the grill marks from cooking directly on the grill, but this didn’t happen. I still got a sear on the pork with caramelization, the inside was moist, tender and safely pink, and it was delicious. Triple win. The non-stick surface of the grilling sheet meant I didn’t have to add any oil or butter too.
To be honest, health doesn’t necessarily take priority when cooking (flavour does), but if I can be healthier without sacrificing flavour, then why not?
The sheets also don’t hold onto flavour and odours, so the idea of grilling s’mores after grilling fish is possible, and there won’t be unpleasant flavour transfers. Of course, wipe it down in between, but there’s no need to wait, let it “air out”, or dedicate sheets to certain foods.
COOKINA Fact Sheet:
- 100% Non-stick: Food glides off the PTFE (PFOA free) coated non-stick fabric
- Reusable and reversible
- Oil and fat-free cooking: Allows you to cook without fat or oil
- Your food is lower in calories and retains all of its vitamins
- Holds no odor or flavor from previous use
- Easy to clean: No need to scrub. Easy wipe or wash clean.
- Easy cut to size
This summer COOKINA is encouraging Canadians to share their stories on how their sheets have improved their recipes. People are also sharing recipes and meals on social media, so join the conversation by using the hashtag #WhatsOnYourGrill… even if it’s embarrassing, we want to know!
COOKINA can be found at leading home and cooking retailers such as Canadian Tire, Home Depot, RONA, Home Hardware, Metro, Sobeys/IGA and Costco.ca. To find out more about COOKINA Barbecue, visit www.cookina.co and www.facebook.com/Cookinaco
This post is in partnership with COOKINA. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.
Tea Cured Grilled Pork Loins
Photos and recipe testing by: Brenda
Yields 4 Servings
Ingredients
Pork Loins
- 2 lbs pork loin center cut ribend chops
- Pork Brine (recipe below)
- Tea Rub (recipe below)
Pork Brine
- 547 mL Peach Tea (Pure Leaf preferred)
- 547 mL Unsweetened Iced Tea
- 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 65g (1/2 cup) kosher salt
- 110g (1/2 cup) cider vinegar
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
Tea Rub
- 2 Tbsp black tea
- 2 Tbsp tea with dried fruit
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Notes for success
- The Tea Rub for the pork chops was made with Teavana’s Dragonfruit Devotion Herbal Tea but any tea with dried fruit pieces would work well.
- Cookina oven sheets and grilling sheets can be cut to fit the shape of your grill and baking pans.
Method
Tea Cured Grilled Pork Chops
- Place the iced tea, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl that is large enough to hold the brine plus the pork chops. Whisk to dissolve all of the sugar and salt.
- Add the cider vinegar and the quartered lemon.
- Add the pork chops to the bowl and allow them to brine for 1½ to 2 hours.
- Place the black tea and fruit tea into a small spice grinder. Grind the tea in pulses for 1-2 minutes until it is a chunky powder. Place the tea into a small mixing bowl, and add the cinnamon and leaves from the fresh thyme.
- When the pork chops have been brined for long enough, drain them and blot them well.
- Generously cover both sides of each pork chop with the tea rub.
- Grill the pork chops at 275-300F on a Cookina grilling sheet until the internal temperature reaches 140F.
- Remove the pork chops from the grill and allow them to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
