Wood Fired Cajun Stuffed Pork Chops

[CDN]

I recently wanted cook cook something really unique to put on my website, and so after a lot of debate, I consulted my Louisiana Cajun cooking connection, and she suggested Cajun style stuffed pork chops. And she has never been wrong before, so I was all ears to hear her methods and suggestions. The only thing I did different from her original recipe was to smoke cook the pork chops on the Weber Kettle, as opposed to pan frying or oven cooking. I'm here to tell you, as the Cajuns would say, it was "ca c'est beaucoups bien!"

What you'll need:

Thick cut pork chops, about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" thick (I used boneless pork chops for this cook, but pork chops with bones would do fine)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

About 1/2 of a link of Andouille sausage

Crusty bread, cubed

Chicken broth, approximately 1/2 cup

1/4 cup crab meat, chopped finely (I cheated with imitation crab for this cook)

Cajun Seasoning

Olive oil

Pecan or hickory wood or chunks

Start out by building a medium fire in your cooker, around 300 degrees. For this cook I used the Weber Kettle, so for me, that means a full chimney of lump charcoal, about half lit when dumped into the grill. Bank the charcoal on one side, creating a hot side and a cool side. Toss a couple of chunks of wood on the coals to get a little smoke going while the coals are burning to cooking temp. Remove the casings from the Andouille sausage and brown in a skillet with a little olive oil until it crumbles easily.

Once the sausage has browned, strain it and reserve some of the drippings. In the same pan, add the chopped celery, onions and bell pepper and lightly saute. Once they have softened a little, add the browned sausage back to the pan, season with Cajun seasoning and stir to mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the cubed bread. Stir in chicken broth a little at a time, until you reach a nice sticky consistency. Add the chopped crab and stir to mix.

Cut a slit in each pork chop to create a "pocket". Spoon the mixture into the pocket.

Once the pork chops have been stuffed, put a light coat of olive oil on the outside and season with Cajun seasoning.

Put the stuffed pork chops on the grate on the opposite side from the coals. Close the lid, situating so that the vent is directly over the pork chops, so as to draw the smoke over them. Cook them for about 45 minutes at 300 degrees, flipping half way through, or until a toothpick inserted into one yields juice that runs clear.

When done, plate them up and serve hot! Bon appetite!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im drooling just reading this....