Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork chops at least 1 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (I used Honey Mustard)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

• Prep: Heat oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with baking parchment OR aluminum foil (see notes).
• Tenderize: Place pork chops between two pieces of plastic wrap and very gently pound using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet (you don’t want to flatten them much, you mainly want to tenderize them – 4-5 gentle smacks will do).
• Season: Rub chops all over with oil and mustard. Combine brown sugar, ground paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub seasoning blend all over chops.
• Bake: Bake on middle rack for 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness of chops (about 6 minutes per ½ inch thickness), until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F. Turn oven to broil and broil the pork chops 1-2 minutes, until browned. (Leave chops on middle rack if using parchment. Do NOT put chops close under broiler, unless using aluminum foil or removing parchment first! If broiler runs hotter than your parchment manufacturer allows, remove parchment paper first! If broiler is a small separate compartment, remove parchment paper before placing pork chops there.)
• Rest: Remove from the oven and allow chops to rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving, in order to let temperature rise to 145°F. Do not skip rest!

Notes

• Pork chops: I want to stress that your pork chops should be at LEAST 1 inch thick. At least. 1 ¼ inches is even better. If you can only get thin cut chops at the store, consider buying a 2 pound pork loin and cut it into 4 chops yourself (that’s what I mostly do, a 2 pound loin gives me 4 nice and thick chops).
• Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar. If you only have white sugar on hand, that’s fine to use, though you may want to reduce the amount to ½ tablespoon.
• Mustard: I used a mild, smooth, yellow mustard. If mustard is absolutely not your thing, consider using mayonnaise instead – it works very well, too.
• Baking time: I suggest a slightly shorter baking time, because with pork chops it’s better to check early vs too late. Don’t broil them until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F, which can take a couple of minutes longer than the recipe indicates. My pork chops were slightly over 1 inch thick and they baked in 14 minutes.
• Broiler/foil: Please DO NOT put the chops too close under your broiler! If your broiler runs hot, you must remove the parchment paper first OR use aluminum foil instead of parchment for safe broiling.

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 ounces Pineapple Juice
• ▢ 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Garlic
• ▢ 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon black pepper ▢

Instructions 

• Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl or measuring cup.
• Transfer to a large bowl or heavy duty zip top bag.
• Add pork chops and marinade for 4 hours or overnight.
• Cook pork chops any way you wish and discard marinade.

Notes

Marinade can be made up to 5 days in advance. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated until ready to use.

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloin
• 4 jalapeno peppers , cored and minced
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup cheddar cheese , grated
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 10-12 bacon slices

Instructions

• Trim the pork tenderloins of any fat and membrane. Holding knife horizontally, slice the pork tenderloin in half being careful not to pierce through the other end.
• In a small bowl, mix together the jalapeño pepper with the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and chili powder.
• Spread the cheese and jalapeño pepper mixture evenly in the openings of the pork tenderloin. Close up the tenderloins ensuring that the cheese stays inside the pocket of the meat.
• Wrap the tenderloins with the bacon and place on smoker rack. It may be wise to have the tenderloins with the cut open side facing up, so that any melted cheese will stay in the pocket and not ooze out.
• Set the smoker to 275F using wood of choice (hickory, apple or cherry work great).
• Smoke the pork until they reach an internal temperature of 165F and the bacon is rendered and starting to crisp, approximately 2 1/2 – 3 hours.
• Remove the pork tenderloins from the smoker and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Slice into 1 inch medallions and serve.

Notes

How to make in an oven

It is possible to bake this stuffed pork tenderloin in the oven. Prepare the recipe up to step 4 and then place the wrapped tenderloin on a baking sheet.

Bake in a 400F oven until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165F. This should take around 45-60 minutes.

Let rest for 10 minutes and then slice into medallions.