Nectarine and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

Nectarine and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

 Sometimes a great idea comes from what's handy or something you pick up at the Farmer's Market.  In this case, some blue cheese crumbles, fresh corn, some fresh basil and some great local nectarines!











 Ingredient List is easy:

• Farmer John Thick Cut Boneless Pork Chops - 4 pack
• Blue Cheese Crumbles - 8oz tub
• Fresh basil - 1 bunch
• 2 Nectarines - a little under-ripe is best
• 2 Ears of corn
• Your favorite dry rub

Medium dice the nectarine.  Using a lightly under-rip nectarine will help the fruit maintain it's pieces without getting too mushy during the cooking / prep process.





Chiffon cut the fresh basil.
















 Add the basil, 1/2 of the diced nectarine, and the blue cheese.  You can add some salt and pepper if you want but the blue cheese already adds some salt and we can get some more flavor on the meat itself with the dry rub.





 Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket out in the side of the pork chop keeping the entry hole as small as possible so the stuffing doesn't leak out during the cooking process.  Take your time and make the pocket as large as possible without poking through the sides so you can maximize the amount of stuffing used.





After stuffing the chop, you can use tooth picks to help keep the hole closed if you need to.

Liberally dust both sides of the chops with your favorite dry rub.  I used Big Poppa Smokers Money Rub.  This is a great product that can be used on all kinds of meats and vegetables!  I highly recommend their products!

BPS also carries a huge selection of BBQ rubs, sauces and lots of BBQs!  I would check them out at https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com


 Put the pork chops on the smoker at 225F and smoke for about 60 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork is at 145F.

Put the corn on the hottest part of your grill - every grill has an area that is hotter than the rest - for 30 minutes.








After 30 minutes, the corn should be mostly cooked and have a nice smokey flavor.  Cut the kernels off the cob.










Now we can make a quick sauce that will add some sweetness and some crunch and another layer of flavor that accentuates the nectarine to the dish.  Add 2 tablespoons of apple juice and the remaining diced nectarine to a sauce pan over a medium heat.  When the nectarines start to break down and liquify, add in the corn.  Continue to cook for another 10 minutes over a medium heat until fruit is broken down and liquified.




I plated up the stuffed pork chop with some home made chicken and dumplings.  Too much?  I don't think so.


Let's eat!








 You can find Big Poppa Smokers at https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/
You can find the Big Poppa Smokers Money Rub at https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/store/rubs?manufacturer=180

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Smoked Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms!

















Portobello mushrooms are large, almost meaty mushrooms that are perfect size for a main course.  You can stuff them with just about anything you can think of but here's a quick recipe that I did for dinner.

Simple recipe of::

• Roma tomatoes
• Green Onions
• 4 or so strips of bacon (I had some left over that was pre-cooked to speed up the process)
• Gorgonzola Cheese
• Lemon
• Some nice size portobellos
• Your favorite dry rub or salt, pepper, and granulated garlic

Dice up the bacon strips and the green onions.














Sweat the onions and the bacon.  The grease from the bacon will add flavor and help sweat the onions quicker.  I used precooked bacon (from the night before) so this process took about 5 or so minutes.  If the bacon isn't cooked, get the bacon to the 90% done point, drain out most of the rendered fat and then add the onions.













While the onions are sweating in the onions, dice up the Roma tomato














Remove the stems from the mushrooms, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the mushrroms and give a light dose of your favorite rub.  I used The Rub Co Santa Maria Seasoning for this ride.   All of The Rub Co rubs are awesome.  I highly suggest adding it to your BBQ Spice Shelf arsenal.

Add your sweated onion / bacon mix into each mushroom cap and then top with the diced up tomatoes.
 












Add a heavy dose of Gorgonzola Cheese to top off the stuffing mix.

Add another quick dusting of dry rub / spice mix and some more fresh squeezed lemon juice and get these tasty snacks into the smoker!













These cook up pretty quick - I smoked these over apple pellets at 275F for about 15 minutes.













They came out perfect!  Enough heat and time to get the cheese gooey but the mushroom itself still had great texture and was very meat like.  Almost good enough for a meat eater and definitely a great snack for a vegetarian (except the bacon).

You can find The Rub Co products here:  http://www.therubco.com/store.html

Let's eat!

2012 BBQ Season Results

The results for 2012 have been tabulated and Meat, Inc. had another great year!  Thank you to all the fans who support us at the comps, all the folks on the team that put in a huge amount of effort, and thanks to our sponsors that help make all the magic happen!  We look forward to seeing all of you in 2013!

 KCBS National Rankings:

Chicken - 454 / 6214
Ribs - 394 - 6245
Pork - 264 / 6233
Brisket - 459 / 6207
Overall - 416 / 6299

http://www.kcbs.us/team-of-the-year-results.php?y=2012&c=overall

 California BBQ Association Rankings

Chicken - 45
Ribs - 53
Pork - 24
Brisket - 58
Overall - 51 

http://www.cbbqa.org/wiki/index.php?title=CBBQA_Team_of_the_Year_2012

Smoked Stuffed Dates

Smoked Stuffed Dates!














This is a fan favorite - a really easy recipe that is the perfect appetizer for any type of party.











 Just a couple ingredients to make you the superstar!

• Bacon
• Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Mozzarella
• Dates (I used pre-pitted dates - it saves a few steps)

If you can't find pre-pitted dates you can remove the pits by slicing the date lengthwise.

Open up the date and jam in a teaspoon or so of blue cheese crumbles.














Place a small slice of mozzarella on top of the blue cheese crumbles.













 Last step is to wrap a 1/2 piece of bacon around the date.  If you stretch the bacon as you are wrapping - the bacon will stick to itself as it contracts.  No need for tooth picks to keep the bacon in place.

I smoked these tasty treats on my Royall 3000 over apple pellets at 225F for about 90 minutes.  I smoked the snacks on Frogmats so they didn't fall through the grates.  These are a must have for any serious BBQ'r.

Find them at http://frogmats.com/





 








After about 90 minutes these tasty snacks were ready to be served.

A perfect party snack platter is not complete without Smoked Summer Sausage, Atomic Buffalo Turds, and - of course - Smoked Stuffed Dates!

Let's eat!


Disclaimer:  All products used were purchased / supplied by me.  Royall Grills is a proud sponsor or Meat, Inc. BBQ Team.

Smoked Meatloaf

Smoked Meatloaf!

Classic comfort food that usually has leftovers for some great sandwiches the next day!

• Pretty basic recipe:
• 1 1/2 lbs of ground chuck
• 1 1/2 lbs of ground pork
• A few bell peppers
• 2 eggs
• A sweet onion
• Garlic Salt
• Pepper
• Smoked paprika
• Your favorite rub

Combine ground meats, eggs, and add spices to your taste.

Dice bell peppers and sweet onion.

Combine with ground meats.


















I smoked this meatloaf on a plank.  It allows for maximum smoke on the meat while still allowing the meat to stay together during the cooking process.  Remember to soak the plank and never use planks over a direct fire.

I very liberally coated the meatloaf in one of my favorite dry rubs - Simply Marvelous Cherry Rub.  You can get all the Simply Marvelous dry rubs on line from Big Poppa Smokers.  All the flavors are great and I suggest getting all of them!

I smoked this meatloaf on a pellet smoker using apple pellets at a pit temp of 250F.  I used a probe and set the alarm for 165F internal temp.

I made some garlic cheese mashed potatoes to go along with the meal and when the meatloaf internal temp was about 155F I loaded up the ramekins and put them on the smoker to finish with the meat.


















 I let the meatloaf rest on the counter for about 10 minutes and then sliced!

The ground pork helped make this meatloaf really moist and the bell peppers and the onions added some color and a little sweetness.

The Simply Marvelous dry rub created an awesome bark on the outside of the meatloaf too!

 I plated up the meatloaf with the smoked mashed garlic cheese mashed potatoes and a side of Brussel sprouts sauteed with bacon.  An epic meal!

Let's eat!

2013 Meat, Inc. BBQ Team Schedule!

The 2013 BBQ Season is here and Meat, Inc. is ready to hit the grate running with a full schedule.

Thanks to our sponsors returning this year for another ride on the Meat, Inc. BBQ party tour!

Reser's Fine Foods
Ballast Point Brewing Company
Oakridge BBQ
Royall Grills

January 26 - Havasu

March 16 - Santa Anita

April 6 - The Ultimate BBQ Showdown - East v West - Wildomar

April 27/28 - Stagecoach - Indio

May 10/11 - West Coast BBQ Classic - Long Beach

June 22 - Pechanga BBQ Championship - Temecula

August 3 - Vista Smokin' Q Classic - Vista
August 17 - Ribs, Pigs, & Watermelon - Huntington Beach

October 5/6 - Dana Point BBQ Championship - Dana Point

October 12 - Santee Car Show and BBQ Championship - Santee