TEXAS TASTED

by BRYAN SLAVEN :: The Texas Gourmet

I HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEND A couple of days at Tres Aguas Resort on Lake Travis with my nephew and family a few months back and wanted to prepare a memorable dish. Thick cut and brined pork chops stuffed with Venison boudin was the choice and it turned out great. Follow my recipe; I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Spice up the night with Boudin Stuffed and Brined Bone in Chops.

Ingredients

Thick cut pork chops- (4) - 4 to 6 hours with ½ cup of kosher salt to 1 quart of cold water, add a few peppercorns, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 juiced orange, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon of freshly chopped rosemary leaves.

1 Cup Boudin, remove from the casings, transfer to a bowl and add 1/3 cup freshly sliced green onion (you can add 3 to 4 fresh oysters to the stuffing if you like) 1 beaten egg Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice

Texas Gourmet’s Lemon, Rosemary Habanero Grilling Sauce

Instructions

Place in a large Ziploc bag in the cooler while brining.

Preheat an oven to 350 F degrees.

Mix the Boudin well with the egg.

Cut a pocket into the side of each brined chop, coming about 1/2 an inch from going through the other side. Season inside the pocket with Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice.

Stuff about 1/4 cup of the Boudin mixture into each chop, or as much as you can fit in without over stuffing it. Season the outside of the chops lightly with Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice to taste.

Heat a cast iron skillet until good and hot. Brush the chops with Texas Gourmet’s Lemon Rosemary Habanero Grilling Sauce and sear on both sides until nicely browned. Finish in the oven until just cooked through and the Boudin is hot. Brush with the glaze and serve with your favorite sides.

This can also be prepared on a grill smoker. Grill over charcoal and apple or cherry wood cooking indirectly for approx. 16 to 18 minutes per side at approx. 300 degrees or until pork registers 155 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Carefully turn, but try to hold in the stuffing when turning.

Remove from the grill and rest under a piece of foil on a hot platter for 5 to 7 minutes and brush with Lemon Rosemary grilling sauce before transferring to the plates for serving.

Email Bryan Slaven at bryan@thetexasgourmet.com