Hickory-smoked Pork Chops with Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Pears and Onion Straws

By bbarton81

Ingredients

• Hickory-smoked Pork Chops:
• 2 2 cups milk
• * Rosemary sprigs
• 1 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• * Hickory smoking chips
• * Salt and pepper
• 3 3 medium pork chops
• * Garlic and Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows
• * Caramelized Pears, recipe follows
• * Onion Straws, recipe follows
• * Smoked Baby Portobello Mushroom, recipe follows
• * Roasted Red Pepper, recipe follows
• Yukon Gold, Garlic and Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes:
• 2 gold potatoes, approximately 2 pounds, cubed
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup milk
• Caramelized Pears:
• 2 pears, sliced
• 1 cup apple juice concentrate
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• In a medium sized saute pan, combine all of the ingredients over medium heat and saute until the pears soften and the sauce thickens. Set aside.
• Onion Straws:
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 oil, 2 tablespoons
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Vidalia onion, sliced
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Roasted Red Pepper:
• 1 red pepper, whole
• Olive oil, for rubbing
• Steamed Baby Portobello Mushroom:
• 1 baby portobello mushroom, whole
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• Olive oil, for rubbing
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• to cheese, to taste
• Salt and pepper

Details

Preparation time 65mins
Cooking time 180mins
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium sized bowl, combine milk, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper. Place each pork chop in the bowl and allow the meat to marinate for approximately 1/2 hour.

Over an open-flame grill, sear each side of the pork chops until black grill marks form.

Remove the meat from the grill. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and place hickory smoking chips in the bottom of the pan. Cover the chips with a lid, which is slightly smaller than the pan, and then place each pork chop on top of the lid. This will allow the meat to smoke and become infused with the hickory flavor. Smoke the meat until it is fork tender. Serve with potatoes, pears and onion straws. Garnish with red pepper and mushroom strips.

Mashed Potatoes:

In a large pot, add the potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Drain the water from the pot and place the potatoes in a medium sized bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mash together until you reach the desired creaminess. Set aside.