Stuffed Pork Chops

I am sorry it has been so long folks since my last blog.  I have been away from the computer for more than a month with my hectic fishing and hunting schedule.

I apologize but should have some good stuff of my past adventures coming very soon so bear with me.  I made these the other night and thought to myself “These are the bomb and I definitely need to add this to my recipe book.”  They are tested and blog worthy.  As you guys know, I love my blue cheese, garlic and mushrooms.  So I decided to stuff some pork chops with my three favorite ingredients.

First, you need to brine the pork chops.  You know I also love to brine.

• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups of water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf

Boil water and add ingredients stir and remove from heat.  Once cool, add your meat to a large zip lock and pour brine in and let sit for 4-6 hours.  Remove meat from brine and wash off with water.

The Bomb Stuffing

• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 3 garlic, chopped.
• 1/2 cup of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup of Oregon Blue Cheese (Rogue Creamery)
• 1/3 cup of chopped Parsley

Bring cooking pan to med-high and add 1 tablespoons of butter and add your onions and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes until brown and carmelized.  Remove from pan and into a bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and do the same to the mushrooms and put in same bowl.  Mix the mushrooms, onions, garlic, parsley, with the blue cheese.

Take your pork chop and insert your knife all the way to 1/2 from the other side as big as a slot as you can make it.

You will most likely need toothpicks to hold them together.

Turn your oven on at 350 degrees. Then I get the cast iron grill going at high heat.  As that is coming up to temperature I hit my stuffed chops with a little sea salt, pepper, and a little cayenne….just a smidgen.  Once the Cast Iron is hot, add two tablespoons of butter, and some olive oil.  Sear the meat until it is brown on both sides, about 3-5 minutes both sides.

Once they are browned, remove and put into a casserole cooking dish, pour what sauce is left over in the pan over the top of the chops.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  I like to have a little pink, just a shade of it which means they are at 150 degrees.  The days of eating pork at 175 degrees are over and only a fond memory of granny feeding you leather shoes with apple sauce over it so you could swallow it.  I like my pork chops tender and juicy with a lot of flavor.

Do you see the juices trying to escape?  Searing the pork chops keep the flavor in and keep them moist.