Paula Deen's Stuffed Pork Chops with Grits 9.29.11

By far, the best day on the Chew.  The pace has slowed (Thank you).  The recipes are just a tad more intricate (except this one). And best of all, the guests are allowed time.  Time for a story, time to get a little personal and time to fully cook a recipe.

This was a terrific recipe.  What else could you expect from Miss Paula?  I love the character of Paula Dean. I love the story (single Mom, making it work any way she could), and such a success story!  It was such a treat to see her interview.

The recipe was painfully simple.  She did call for a bone in chop.  My store had boneless chops on sale, so I lost a bit of the flavor.  I also Decided to add the slit myself, risking a finger or a knife through the side. Just be careful, cut slowly (SHARP knife of course) and you can easily cut this yourself.

I also add a rub to the outside of the chop.

I chose a simple rub, actually a store bought BBQ rub.  But I did add some brown sugar to the rub (about 2 parts (OK, 2 TBS) rub to 1 part (1 TBS) brown sugar).  The brown sugar melts as it cooks, leaving a beautiful glaze on the chop as it cooks.

Grilling is simple.  About 4-5 minutes per side.  You can get the diamond look by having a HOT grill ready when you start.  Cook for 3 minutes, then turn 90 degrees and cook for another three minutes.

Also, with this recipe, it is VITAL that you use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature.  The sausage MUST be 140 degrees to 160 (I recommend 140, Paula recommends 160).  The chops could be done long before the sausage is.  Big risk if you cook by time and the look of the outside.  Cook by internal Temperature.

I flavored the grits with a spicy pepper spread.

Paula's recipe and her comments on the show made a delicious grit.  She advises adding Cream Cheese and of course extra butter.  the cream cheese really added a lot with the sweet, creaminess contrasting with the grittiness of the texture of the grits.  Delicious.

But, a heaping TBS of ChiliDawg's brand MANGOnero (Mango and Habanero blend) spread really kicked the grits up a notch.  paired great with the milder seasoning I used for the chop.  Grits, on their own, are not very flavorful (although Miss Paula's were).  I like to add a spice to them, or a fruit jam to add just a bit more.

So, with these hints, tips in mind, this is one of those recipes I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter.  The good folks at the chew have a printable version of the recipe on their website (click HERE).  It's just kind of a throwaway direction as an option, but I really recommend using the Cream Cheese in the grits.  Adds a LOT.

Best episode yet.  The pace is settling in, the cast is settling in... Big changes in just 4 days!