Smoked Stuffed Pork Chops

Pork chops are such a versatile protein, offer countless opportunities for outdoor cooks, and are a perfect choice for cooking in a camp Dutch oven. Tonight we are trying a new recipe from one of our all time favorite chefs, Alton Brown.  We love his quirky humor to teach about cooking and his dedication to the science of cooking.  Just about every time we watch Good Eats, I want to jump into the kitchen and try what he was cooking.  We are adapting his recipe for stuffed grilled pork chops by smoking them in our Camp Chef Ultimate Dutch oven instead of grilling them.  Lets get started!

Ingredients

• 2 double thick bone-in loin end pork chops (Note:  Do not skimp on this!  Get your butcher to give you the thickest pork chop possible!)
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 tablespoon mustard powder
• 1 cup cider vinegar, heated
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs or cornbread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon golden raisins
• 1/8 cup chopped nuts
• 1/8 cup dried cherries, halved
• 1/8 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Prepare brine by combining warm vinegar, salt, brown sugar, mustard powder and stir until sugar, salt, and mustard are dissolved.  Add pork chops and cover. Chill for as long as possible, at least one hour, two is better.

Start five or six charcoals and gather your favorite wood for smoking. (My better half likes apple wood chips.)  Pile the chips on top of the charcoal and watch them start to smoke.

Remove the chops from the brine and cut a pocket into the biggest section of the chop.  This quick video shows you how.

Stuff as much of the cherry and nut stuffing into the pocket as you can.

Place the stuffed pork chops on the upper rack of the Ultimate Dutch Oven, then move the oven over the smoking wood chips.Place the center of the Ultimate Dutch oven over the smoking chips so the smoke and pork hang out together for about 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is about 110 – 115 degrees Fahrenheit.  Then fire up another chimney of charcoal.

Add a pile of hot coals on top and underneath to quickly raise the temperature and grill the pork chops for about 15 – 20 minutes.  Remove when the internal temperature is 135 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let the chops rest for 10 minutes.I love the smokey flavor of the apple wood in the pork chops.  Oh, these chops are so juicy! And the stuffing is sweet and savory….

You can easily double this recipe to serve four hungry friends.  There is plenty of room for four pork chops on the Ultimate.

Next time we make this, I will add a cherry bourbon sauce and work in my favorite Hatch green chiles.

Enjoy!!