Brion & I seem to have a natural affinity to smoked cheeses so I like to make use of them whenever I have an opportunity. Generally, I shy away from the bone-in pork chops opting for the boneless sirloin cut. But sometimes bone-in has its place and this meal is one of them.
Smoked Gouda is a semi-hard to hard, cow’s milk cheese which is creamy and mild with a natural smoked flavor and rich musky aftertaste. The rind is typically brown rather than the yellow rind on the unsmoked version. Only cheese exposed to real smoke may be called ‘smoked’. Cheese that has only had liquid smoke added to it must be labeled with ‘smoke flavor’.
Smoking cheese imparts a unique flavor, everything from the intensity of the heat or kind of wood chips used, can affect the flavor outcome. Every part of the process, no matter how small it may seem, has some bearing on the final taste of the product.
An easy and elegant meal for summertime!
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- 60 gm smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
- 4 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
- 1/3 cup leek, thinly sliced
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 2 sirloin pork chops (2 1/4-inch)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Montreal steak spice
Ingredients
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- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.
- In a small bowl, combine cheese, bacon, leeks & pepper.
- Lay the chops flat on a cutting board & with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the other side, but leaving the sides intact.
- Stuff cheese mixture into each pocket & close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil & season with Montreal steak spice.
- Lightly oil a foil tray. Grill over medium heat on each side until pork is cooked. Be careful not to overcook!