Stuffed pork chops, questions

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taxlady

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I plan to make some stuffed pork chops with some of that entire pork loin I bought at Costco. I have never done this, but I did read through the topics here about stuffed pork chops.

I plan to stuff with sliced Jarlsberg cheese and sliced Black Forest ham. All the recipes I find for "cordon bleu pork chops" say to bread the chops. Is that necessary / important? I really don't want to bother with breading this time.

How well would this work on the grill? I was thinking brown them, then turn down the heat to finish them. I have a gas grill.

Any tips and tricks to make this easier or better?
 
I've made stuffed chops only a few times. Stuffed them with an apple-bread mix and baked. I never breaded them - and the surface was kinda dry. :ermm: I guess there is a reason for breading them!

I never thought to grill them stuffed. That sounds delicious! If you do put them on the grill, be sure to close up the slit or you might lose all the cheese. Maybe it would work if you foil-wrapped them, put them in the toaster over to get them started cooking, then finish them on the grill? There has to be a trick to make sure the raw meat touching the stuffing gets cooked adequately, too. I'm interested to hear how you end up cooking them, and how they turn out.

Now you have me wishing I went ahead and bought that whole pork loin from the corner grocery store when I was there yesterday. I still have 5 hours to decide before they close for the day.
 
TL, any time I have made stuff pork chops I never breaded them. I always insisted on two bone chops, cut a slit in the side, widened the pocket with my fingers and stuffed with stuffing of choice. I secured the pocket with toothpicks and butcher's twine. I never breaded them before placing them in the oven. They always browned nicely in the oven. I turn them over once halfway through the baking. I try to make sure my stuffing is always in very moist so that it keeps the meat inside moist. And I like a nice thick rim of fat on the rim. :angel:
 
I've never breaded them, either. I haven't done them on the grill; I seared them on both sides in a pan, then turned down the heat, covered it and cooked them till they were done.

On the grill, I would sear them on both sides over high heat, then turn it down to medium and move them to the other side of the grill with the flame off. Put them on a piece of foil to prevent any oozing filling from landing on the fire. Then close the cover and cook till done.
 
When I've watched Rachel Ray do stuffed chops, she didn't bread them either. I think she toothpicked them closed, and cooked them on her indoor grill. Or maybe on the stovetop, then in the oven.
 
Thanks for the info and tips. I'll use "poultry needles" to make sure the hole stays closed and the suggestion of using foil to catch oozing cheese will be used as well.
 
It's been a while since I've made stuffed pork chops (boy does that sound good), but I've always used a bread based stuffing to help hold any goodies inside. I sear them on the stove top, then add a little water, cover, and finish cooking in the oven.

I've never cut a loin into chops, then stuffed and grilled them - will be watching this thread, I hope it turned out great, Taxy! :yum:
 
My guess is that the breaking is intended to hold in the oozing cheese. But sounds like you have the situation under control...
 
I haven't done stuffed pork chops in a while but I do know I'll never cook another pork chop that has not been brined. I would do the same for stuffed pork chops too, especially if they are cut from a pork loin.
 
So, I tried it. I cut some very thick chops from the pork loin. I made a small hole and stuffed the Jarlsberg, wrapped in the Black Forest ham into the chops. That was NOT easy. One of the chops was a bit thinner on one side. When I tried stuffing it, I made a hole, so I butterflied it and rolled it around the cheese and ham. I browned the two chops and the roulade. Then I put them in the toaster oven at 350°F. All the recipes said 45 minutes to an hour in the oven. I checked the temperature of the meat after 20 minutes and it was 180°F! They were very dry. :ermm: The roulade was less dry.

Next time I will know to check sooner and I will probably do them as roulades. I wanted to grill them, but we ran out of propane. :rolleyes:

I might take Kayelle's suggestion of brining them too.
 
So, I tried it. I cut some very thick chops from the pork loin. I made a small hole and stuffed the Jarlsberg, wrapped in the Black Forest ham into the chops. That was NOT easy. One of the chops was a bit thinner on one side. When I tried stuffing it, I made a hole, so I butterflied it and rolled it around the cheese and ham. I browned the two chops and the roulade. Then I put them in the toaster oven at 350°F. All the recipes said 45 minutes to an hour in the oven. I checked the temperature of the meat after 20 minutes and it was 180°F! They were very dry. :ermm: The roulade was less dry.

Next time I will know to check sooner and I will probably do them as roulades. I wanted to grill them, but we ran out of propane. :rolleyes:

I might take Kayelle's suggestion of brining them too.


I think you'll find that brining them will make all the difference in the world Taxi. Just rinse the brine off the meat, and don't over cook them. Pig just isn't the same as we grew up with and it takes a new mind set to deal with it.
 
Taxy, I'm wondering if the pocket wasn't big enough. From what I've seen, the cook sticks a knife into the chop, wiggles it around, and it probably opens up a half a chop. It's almost butterflied, but not quite.
 
Taxy, I'm wondering if the pocket wasn't big enough. From what I've seen, the cook sticks a knife into the chop, wiggles it around, and it probably opens up a half a chop. It's almost butterflied, but not quite.
I'm pretty sure the pocket was big enough. I did wiggle the knife and then I stuck my finger in to see how far it went and worked on it some more where it hadn't gotten far enough. I got it to less than half an inch from the edges.
 
I think you'll find that brining them will make all the difference in the world Taxi. Just rinse the brine off the meat, and don't over cook them. Pig just isn't the same as we grew up with and it takes a new mind set to deal with it.
Definitely will cook it less next time. I just don't expect four or five recipes to say 45-60 minutes in the oven, when it should have been 10-15 minutes. :ermm:

Actually, next time I'll probably skip the oven and just turn the heat down under the frying pan, maybe put a lid on it.
 
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