Stuffed Inside-Out Pork Chop Grilled Cheeses | Where do we start? Well first I should ask – are you hungry? If you’re not, that’s about to change…because grilled cheese just got turned inside-out, and is now melting away inside a succulent, brined pork chop. Come see…
In this recipe, we brine our 2 inch thick pork chops overnight before we stuff them in a goat cheese dressing, pearl onions and spicy leeks. We then bread em’ in panko, sear and roast off to a perfect medium-rare before we rest it over a homemade, spicy potato gratin. And then there’s the horseradish mayo, but that’s another post…
Stuffed Inside-Out Pork Chop Grilled Cheeses
Print
Prep Time
2 hours 5 mins
Cook Time
10 hours
Total Time
12 hours 5 mins
* This recipe has 6: parts: the Horseradish Mayo, Brine, Pearls, Stuffing, Gratin and Pork Chops.
* You can make the mayo, stuffing and gratin in advance.
* Join our VIP list to get new recipes before anyone else.
Serves: 2 dinners
Supplies
Ingredients:
For the Horseradish Mayo
Mayonnaise - ¼ cup
Prepared Horseradish - 1 heaping teaspoon
Dijon - ½ teaspoon
Lemon Juice - 1 ¼ teaspoons
Chili Powder - ⅛ teaspoon
Salt - ⅛ teaspoon
For the Brine
Water - 10 cups
Garlic - 5 cloves, smashed
Bay Leaves - 2
Apple Cider Vinegar - 3 tablespoons
Pineapple Juice - ⅓ cup
Lime - 1, halved
Black Peppercorns - 1 teaspoon
Caraway Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coriander Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ground Sage - 1 teaspoon
Ground Ginger - 1 teaspoon
Ground Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Dried Oregano - 1 teaspoon
Dried Thyme - 1 teaspoon
Brown Sugar - 3 tablespoons
Salt - ½ cup
For the Pearls
Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Cabernet Sauvignon - 1 cup
Chicken Stock - ½ cup
Sweet Tea - ¾ cup (your favorite kind)
White Pearl Onions - 20
Red Wine Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
Bay Leaf - 1
Thyme - 5 sprigs
Brown Sugar - 1½ tablespoons
Ancho Chili Powder - ¼ teaspoon
Chili Powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
For the Stuffing
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Hamburger Buns - 2, medium dice (about 1½ cups)
Egg - 1, beaten
Applewood Smoked Bacon - 2 slices
Goat Cheese - 4 ounces, crumbled
Colby Jack Cheese - 1 cup, finely grated
Chicken Stock - 1 cup
Leek - 1 cup (½ of mix)
Jalapeno - 2 tablespoons, minced (½ of mix)
Roasted Garlic - 2 teaspoons
Parsley - 1 tablespoon, finely minced
Tomato Paste - 2 teaspoons
Coriander - ¼ teaspoon
Pepper - ¼ teaspoon
Salt - ½ teaspoon
For the Potato Gratin
Butter
Pecorino Romano - ½ cup, finely grated
Parmesan - ½ cup, finely grated
Russet Potatoes - 3, peeled, sliced on 1/16
Heavy Cream - 1 cup
Beefsteak Tomato - 1, thinly sliced
Sriracha - 2 teaspoons
Bay Leaf - 1
Coriander - ¼ teaspoon
Pepper - ¼ teaspoon
Salt - ½ teaspoon
For the Pork Chops
Canola Oil - 2 tablespoons
All-Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Eggs - 2, beaten
Panko Breadcrumbs - 1 cup
Italian Breadcrumbs - ¼ cup
Pork Loin Chops - 2, (2”+ thick), bone-in
Salt - ¼ teaspoon
Tools You Need:
For the Horseradish Mayo
Mixing Bowl - small
For the Brine:
Dutch Oven - large, with cover
Wooden Spoon
For the Pearls
Sauce Pot - medium
Saucepan - small
Mixing Bowl - small
Chinois - 1, or other fine-mesh strainer
Wooden Spoon
For the Stuffing
Saute Pan - small
Mixing Bowl - large
Cheese Grater
For the Potato Gratin
Mandolin
Baking Dish - 10” x 6”
Saucepan - 1, small
Mixing Bowl - 1, small
Peeler
For the Pork Chops
Sheet Pan - fitted with cooling rack
Cast-Iron Pan - large
Plates - 3, for your breading station
Tongs
Toothpicks - 8
Get Started
On the Horseradish Mayo:
Yields: ⅓ cup Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 0 mins Total Time: 5 mins
To Prepare
Let’s start with the mayo. It’s a breeze - just mix everything together really well in the mixing bowl.
Pop in fridge to marinate. Make ahead.
On the Brine:
Yields: 10 cups Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 6 hours 5 mins Total Time: 6 hour 15 mins
To Prepare
Let’s prep our beautiful pork chops. Start by slicing off any excess pieces of fat. Trash those.
Then we need to slice off the fat cap (the thin, white, outside border of the large loin side). So stand the chop up on its side with the fat cap facing up.
Then carefully slide your knife under the cap, tilt the blade slightly upwards and slide it down the cap length to remove. Leave as much meat on the chop as you can.
Now go ahead and lay the chops down flat on your cutting-board, with the large loin side on the same side of the bone as your dominant hand (e.g. I’m a lefty, so the loin part is sitting here in front of me on the left of the bone. Now it’s easier to cut).
Remember, we are stuffing the chops in this recipe, so we need to cut a pouch for the stuffing. Dry off the short-side of the loin (the part where you removed the fat cap) and slice horizontally all the way in towards the bone, moving the knife in as few as slices as possible, being careful not to cut all the way through the top or bottom (i.e. don’t completely butterfly and don’t cut the tenderloin side of the chop). Well done. Set the chops aside.
Now onto the brine part of this equation. Get all your ingredients and toss them in the dutch.
Then add 5 cups of warm water.
Put the dutch over medium-high heat, bring it to a boil, and cook until the sugar and salt have fully dissolved - about 3 minutes.
Take the dutch off the heat and sit it in a sink full of cold water to cool it down.
Pour in 5 cups more of ice water and let it cool completely - this can take up to 30 minutes.
Then toss in your cut pork chops, cover, and put the dutch in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Well done.
On the Pearls:
Yields: ¾ cup Prep Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hour 10 mins Total Time: 6 hour 15 mins
To Prepare
Let's peel our little onion friends. Drop them in a large bowl filled with warm water. Let them soak for at least 20 mins
(up to an hour).
Then take a paring knife and peel each one - this can take a while so be patient. Just set them aside when you're done.
Measure out all the rest of your ingredients.
To Cook
Heat the oil and butter in the sauce pot over medium heat. Let it get hot for a couple minutes.
Now strain the pearls and add them to the pot. Give them a stir with a small pinch of the salt, and saute until they just start
to brown - about 4 to 5 minutes.
Then deglaze the pan with ½ of the red wine and the chicken stock. Scrape up any fond on the bottom of the pan, then
reduce for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid is gone.
Now put a bowl under your chinois and dump the whole sauce pot mix into it. Let the pearls strain as much as you can (give them a little stir
to help them along).
Then peel each pearl by gently pulling off the outer layers. You don't want those.
Once you've peeled each one, add them back to the empty sauce pot along with the rest of the wine, sweet tea, vinegars, bay, thyme, sugar,
spices and the rest of the salt.
Bring it to a low simmer and reduce on medium until the sauce thickens and coats each pearl - about 40 minutes. You should have about ⅓ cup left of sauce.
Strain the pearls over a small bowl (keeping the sauce), then roughly chop the pearls up. Split them into two piles and set aside.
On the Stuffing:
Yields: 2 cups Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 35 mins Total Time: 45 mins
To Prepare
Grate your colby jack and crumble the goat cheese.
Cut up hamburger buns and the rest your ingredients.
Beat the egg in the mixing bowl.
To Cook
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the saute pan over medium heat.
Let the bubbles subside, then toss in your cut up hamburger buns with a small pinch of salt.
Saute them until they're nice and crispy - about 4 minutes.
Let the bread cool then add to the egg bowl.
Wipe the saute pan clean and toss in the last tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Let it melt and get hot.
Then add the jalapeno, coriander, pepper and last of the salt. Give it a stir and saute for 4 minutes.
Then add the roasted garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 1 more minute.
Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, bring it to a rapid boil, and reduce by a quarter - at least 6 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat. Season to taste and let it cool briefly.
Then scrape just half of the mix into the bread & egg bowl. Set aside the rest in the saute pan - it's goin' in the gratin.
Now add half of the braised pearls and parsley to the bread bowl.
Now get in their with your hands and mix the stuffing well. It should be very wet. Pop it in the fridge and let is set for at least 20 minutes. Onto the gratin!
On the Gratin:
Yields: 5 servings Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hour 35 mins Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
To Prepare
Preheat your oven 375 degrees. Put the rack in the middle.
Butter your baking dish.
Slice the ends off your tomato, then thinly slice it crosswise.
Rinse and peel each potato.
Then put your mandolin on a 1/16 setting slice your potatoes. Lay them out and pat them as dry as you can with a paper towel.
To Cook
Add the cream, sriracha, bay leaf, coriander, pepper and salt to the saucepan. Put it over medium heat and let it warm & reduce for just 5 minutes.
Now let’s put together this gratin, shall we? It’s only 2 layers of potatoes. Start by spreading a spoonful of the jalapeno/leek mix on the bottom of the baking dish.
Now shingle one ring of potato slices around the outer base of the baking dish, overlapping each one by about two-thirds.
Now cover up that empty spot in the middle with some more shingled slices. You should use about 23-25 slices per layer (try your best to make one, even layer around the whole dish).
Then spread 3 to 4 spoonfuls of the cream mix over the potatoes.
Now spread another big spoonful of both the jalapeno/leek mix and pearl onions over the top.
Shingle one layer of the tomato slices you cut earlier.
Sprinkle over half of your grated cheeses.
Now repeat with another potato layer, cream mix, jalapeno/leek mix, pearl onion and cheese.
Sprinkle on a little salt, cover in tin foil, and toss that bad boy in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove the tin foil the last 15 minutes to brown the top.
Take the dish out of the oven and let it cool a bit before you cut it up (you can also keep warm in a very low oven after cooking).
On the Pork Chops:
Yields: 2 dinners Prep Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
To Prepare
While the gratin is cooking away, get started on the pork. Preheat your oven to 375.
Take the chops out of the brine and give them a quick rinse.
Set them aside on a paper towel and pat them as dry as possible. Let them come to room temperature - this can take up to 45 minutes.
Then get your fingers in the pouch and gently press down the meat on both sides to open it up a bit more.
Remember that stuffing? Take it directly out of the fridge, then pack as much as you can into each pouch until it just about overflows - at least ⅓ cup per pouch. Then seal the pouch by sticking 3 to 4 toothpicks through the open ends.
Wipe off any excess stuffing overflow and get ready to cook!
To Cook
Add the flour (with the salt), beaten eggs and panko to their own plates and line them up.
Pat the chops dry again, then dredge them: 1) coat in the flour, knock off any excess 2) coat all over in the egg, let excess drip off 3) coat all over in the panko.
Film the bottom of your cast-iron with the oil and let it get hot over medium-high (the oil should be shimmering and ready to rock).
Add each one to the hot cast-iron (give them space) and sear them for 2 minutes on each side (turn them more often if they start to burn).
Lay them on the cooling rack (in sheet pan) and into the oven for 34 minutes until they’re a perfect medium-rare (or until you reach a little under 45 degrees).
Set them aside and let them rest for at least 5 minutes before you plate.
Plate It Up!
Grab spatula and cut out a good portion of the gratin. Put it in the center of your favorite plate.
Lay a pork chop on top.
Garnish with the horseradish mayo and any any extra pearl onion sauce, grated cheese and herbs. Dig in. You deserve it.
Bruin Says
* When it comes to the mayo, if you want it spicier, just add a bit more horseradish & dijon.
* Put any extra stuffing in a small baking dish and pop it into the oven for a little extra side dish...put it in the same time as the pork.
* If you don’t have a mandolin, just use a knife for the potatoes...but try and make the slices as consistently thick as you can...and if you're working slow, toss the slices into a bowl of water so they don’t oxidize.
* Remember! Don’t open the oven when you cook the pork or else you'll need to add a couple minutes to the cooking time.
* If you have any more questions, just ask away in the comments!
3.5.3226
This post Stuffed Inside-Out Pork Chop Grilled Cheeses appeared first on Mytartare.com.