Stuffed pork chops

LOVE stuffed pork chops, but the ones I find in the store always seem so blah and tough. I decided to try making them myself, and they were wonderful! I did brine the pork chops first, which really makes them moist and delicious. One note if you’ve never brined before: DO NOT SALT THE MEAT AFTER BRINING. You can add other seasonings if you want, but do NOT add salt. They will be WAY too salty. Trust me on this. Step away from the salt.

Brine:

• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c kosher salt
• 1 TBSP whole peppercorns
• 1 c cider vinegar, microwaved until hot
• 1/2 pound ice

Mix sugar, salt and peppercorns together with hot vinegar until disolved. Add ice and shake/stir until melted. Pour over 2 thick cut boneless pork chops and refrigerate for 1.5 hours.

Stuffing

• 2 cups sage and onion stuffing mix
• 1/2 med onion, chopped
• 2/3 c macintosh apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/2-2/3 c low sodium chicken broth
• 6 TBSP butter

In a frying pan, saute the onion in 2 TBPS of butter until soft. While the onion is cooking, soak 1 cup of the stuffing with the chicken broth. Make sure its pretty soggy. Add cooked onion and apple. Then toast the remaining 1 cup of stuffing mix in 2 TBSP of butter until browned. Add to the stuffing mixture and mix well.

Remove your pork chops from the brine and rinse them well. DO NOT SALT THEM. I repeat, DO NOT SALT. With a sharp knife, make a 2 inch slit in the top of the pork chop. Moving your knife back and forth in a pendulum motion, make a large pocket on the inside of the pork chop, without cutting through or making the top slit bigger.

Take the remaining 2 TBSP of butter and put one tbsp into the bottom of each pork chop cavity. Then take your stuffing and stuff it into the pork chop. I found that clean hands work best for this. Get as much in as you can (the sides should bulge)

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until stuffing reaches a temp of 150. degrees

Slow cooker pulled pork

Both Hubby and I LOVE pulled pork sandwiches. I like mine memphis style with coleslaw on top and he likes his plain. Although this is not a traditional “barbequed” pulled pork, its yummy and ridiculously easy. I served it with waffle fries (frozen. I have a toddler. I like convenience).

Slow Cooker pulled pork

2 cans root beer

1 can cherry soda

2 lb pork tenderloin

Place pork tenderloin in slow cooker and cover with soda. Cook on low, 8 hours. Chop pork and mix with your favorite BBQ sauce.

Its really THAT easy and its SO good. It probably makes enough for 4-5 sandwiches, so if you have more than 3 or 4 people I would recommend doing 2 tenderloins.