Sometimes a recipe is so darn easy it’s almost embarrassing to write about it. You could say this recipe qualifies. But I will do my best to make this an interesting column with delicious food awaiting you at the end of the culinary rainbow.
One of the things I like about pork chops is the ability to get them cut to order at most grocery stores. I always go 1¼ to 1½ inches thick with the bone in. It has always been my contention, imagined or not, that the bone adds flavor and helps retain moisture. I believe that to be the case with chicken and beef as well. Unfortunately, in today’s world of supply line stress and staffing challenges, my local grocer no longer offers cut-to-order chops. Heck, they don’t even get pork chops with bones in them. So naturally I had to look elsewhere, which in hindsight was a blessing.
In my neck of the woods (southern Indiana just outside of Louisville) we have a locally owned butcher/small grocer called Preferred Meats. They offer high quality hand-cut beef, poultry and pork. They even carry elk, venison and ostrich. I was excited to learn they had some hand-cut bone-in chops (locally sourced) cut to 1¼ inch thick. I swung by and picked up two. They were a little more expensive, but not by much. They were beautifully marbled and delicious. For a little more money they sell prime pork chops, which are even more beautifully marbled. I’ll be giving those a try next time, though it’s hard to fathom them being much better than these.
First, I fired up the pellet smoker to its lowest setting (150 degrees) and allowed the chops to smoke for roughly one hour. I then brought the chops in and carved a pocket into each chop. I did this by placing the chop on its side, bone-side down, and using a small knife, piercing inward toward the bone. I then angled the blade to the left, slicing upward while not increasing the size of the entry incision by much at all. I then flipped the sharp end of the blade to the right and did the same thing. You end up with a fairly small entry incision and a fairly large pocket for stuffing.
