The colder weather has mercifully cried uncle, and yesterday I walked home from work without a coat to bask in the collective sigh of relief and squeal of joy. There is nothing like the first warm Friday night in New York City. 

I made the necessary stops on my way home, to collect the essentials for a balcony celebration: avocados, grilling supplies, extra limes. By the time I had schlepped one large bag of charcoal on my shoulder (in addition to many, many bags) for 13 blocks and 2 avenues, I was a sweaty, happy mess.

Prior to our current apartment, I’ve lived in 14 other places and not a single one had sufficient surface area and ventilation for grilling (and yes, I did consider the fire escapes). There is not a single amenity that I would trade for our lovely balcony. It’s our 60 square foot oasis.

During the warmer months, we abandon our dining table and enjoy all of our meals outdoors. The balcony becomes our outdoor kitchen, our herb and vegetable garden, our cocktail bar, and the crime scene for a rosebush that I brutally murdered last summer.

For the first grill night of the year, I wanted to try something a little different. I had been saving some beautiful pork chops in the freezer, and I consulted Epicurious for grilling recipes that were off the beaten path.

I had my doubts about the anise rub – I’m not a total hater of anise, but, um, licorice pork chops? I put my faith in the praises of the reviewers on Epi and stuck to the recipe. There were some small setbacks – the mango that I selected at the store felt and smelled the way a good mango should, but cutting into it revealed that it was still too yellow and just not juicy enough. The limes too – were mealy and did not contain the desired amount of juice. (thanks for nothing, Whole Foods)

The rub felt counterintuitive, and I fretted that the mojo was not going to be mango-y enough, but all was forgiven when we took our first bites. I must stress – this recipe can only work on the grill. The flavors from the hardwood charcoal (chem-free and awesome, allows food to taste like food, not lighter fluid or gas) and flames transformed the anise, and the mojo complimented the meaty flavors perfectly. We felt very satisfied with our first grilled meal of the year – I can’t wait for tomorrow night with its forecasted 72 degrees.

Grilled Pork Chops with Anise-Seed Rub and Mango Mojo
Adapted from Gourmet, May 2000

For mango mojo

1 mango, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 large garlic clove

1 tablespoon chopped fresh jalapeño (including seeds)

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
For anise-seed rub

1 tablespoon anise seeds

3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 (3/4-inch-thick) loin pork chops, trimmed

Prepare grill (do not spread charcoal out to edges of grill).

Make mojo:
Purée mango, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, and salt in a blender, then stir in cilantro.

Make rub:

Finely grind anise seeds and peppercorns in an electric coffee/spice grinder with salt and sugar. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in oil.

Grill pork:

Brush both sides of pork with spice rub.

Grill pork on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 2 minutes on each side. Move pork off to side of grill (not directly over coals; moderately low heat for gas grills) and cook pork, covered, turning once, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes more on each side.

Transfer to a platter and let stand, loosely covered, 5 minutes.

Serve pork with mojo.