Spice rubbed, apple/cheese stuffed, brandy soaked, bacon wrapped pork chops
Spice rub:
Curry
Tumeric
Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger
Fennel
Mix the above in whatever quantities you like. I went heavy on the cinnamon and curry
Other ingredients needed:
Two boneless pork chops
Honey (enough to coat the inside of 2 pork chops and another table spoon for drizzling on top)
1/3 cup feta cheese (blue cheese will also work or any other strong salty cheese that melts or cream cheese if you prefer a milder taste - stay away from cheddar as that will be too greasy and melt weird)
1 granny smith apple
12-14 slices of thick cut hickory smoked bacon (or however many you want/need to fully wrap your pork chops)
Brandy!
Marinate your pork chops in brandy, for at least 1 hour (if you don't feel like doing this - or you forgot...as some of us did just use the brandy to deglaze the pan and to add moisture - about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup added before it goes in the oven)
Preheat oven to 350
Cut apple into thin slices and set aside half for each pork chop.
Cut a slit into the pork chop and coat the inside with honey, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with some of the spice rub.
Fill pork chops with apples and cheese. Sprinkle the remaining spice rub on both sides to coat evenly.
Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpicks or twine.
Place bacon wrapped pork chops into a hot skillet (make sure it is oven safe!) and brown the bacon on all sides. Deglaze pan with brandy.
Drizzle honey over pork chops, add 1/4-1/3 cups of brandy to skillet, cover with foil (or oven safe lid), and place in oven for 30 minutes.
Uncover, turn pork chops, and bake another 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 deg. F
Rest pork chops for 5 minutes then nom the hell out of them!
I served these with a spicy endive, apple and cheese salad with a Serrano honey and strawberry oil/vinegar dressing.
dainjre at Pono Burger in Santa Monica for grub, brews, and...
