Smokey Mountain Breakdown

They don't have to be pork, but they do have to be chops and they have to be thick chops to do this. Stuffing things into meat need not be the retro-medieval Turducken. Everyone should have some good quality basting thread and a good needle in their kitchen for those moments when you feel like stuffing something in a place that nature never intended something to be stuffed in.

If I convey anything to you on FPF, it is to encourage you to cook with the same fearless daring most home Southern cooks approach food with. People make fun of our "pinch of this" or a "mess of that", but what is really at the bottom of all of this is a combination of tradition and inventiveness. Because of the way we cook, we can often recreate a dish we have had somewhere without the benefit of a recipe. And really, when you think about cooking, it is a little bit science and a little bit craft. Once you know how a certain technique is done, like a custard, then you can figure out how to make other custard based foods. Who needs a recipe? It's cooking without a net.

So, back to the chops. I'm going to show you how to stuff chops and give you the basic process for stuffing. What you do with that information should be your own creative journey into recipe development. That's what I did with these lovely things. It started because I found these chops and they were really lovely, so I decided to do something special with them off the top of my head.


First, the stuffing. Prepare this before you start to stuff your chops. The basic process for stuffing from scratch is to make your cornbread the night before if you are using that as your base. If not, dry your bread out in a low oven until all moisture is gone. Be creative with the choice of base, if you like. Use pumpernickel, rye or any sort of bread you think would suit the type of chop you are going to stuff. What you add to the stuffing should also be a creative process. Sweet things go well with pork, so I chose apples and leeks. Pine nuts would have been nice, as well. You don't even have to use a bread base. Sometimes just a piece of fruit, dried fruit or sprigs of fresh herbs are nice to hide in the middle of a cut of meat.

The basic process to make a bread based stuffing is to melt butter and saute pungent and root vegetables until tender (onions, leeks, garlic, carrots, etc.). Pour this into a separate bowl where you have placed your crumbled stale bread with some sage or the seasoning of your choice. Then pour stock over the mix and add any other ingredients like nuts, egg or fruit. You may also add melted butter. Toss and mix well but do not mash.

To stuff chops, you will need a very sharp fillet knife. You cut a pocket into the side of them going back towards the bone. As always, be careful of cross contamination when working with raw meat in your kitchen. Stuff with your dressing and sew up with a needle and thread.

To prepare, first brown the chops on both sides in a skillet to seal in the juices. Then bake at 350 until done. I served these with applesauce and grilled winter squash.

But you get the idea...Now, get out there and play with your food.