Poke Chops

Worked late tonight. I have that tired yet contented feeling. Today was Pork Chop Day!!! Not just any pork chops.......1 1/2 inch thick, butterflied, boneless pork chops! Lemme tell you.......the folks LOVED them!!! Now, lemme tell you what I did.

I have a very best friend named Martha Jean. Martha Jean is from Alabama. And Martha Jean makes the best jalapeno pepper jelly on the planet! I use it for everything! Unfortunately, she has not marketed hers yet, so I had to suffice with a jar from the store. Now, it is also damned good.....but don't tell Martha Jean I used it, instead of hers!

First, I sprinkled salt and pepper on the chops. I then browned them in a smidge of olive oil. Just to get a pretty color on the outside. You know how fat looks so good when it is all nice and brown? My friend Jill Conner Browne, THE Sweet Potato Queen made that analogy famous in her first book, The Sweet Potato Queens Book Of Love. Stand in front of a mirror and lift your shirt, or look at your ass in the dead of winter. Them rolls look like hell all white and pasty, right? Well lift that same shirt or look at your ass in the summer when your rolls are all nice and brown. Looks a lot better, doesn't it? Point made.....but I digress.....

After you have browned your chops, spread some pepper jelly over them. Stick them in a 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Yes, that's right. Do NOT overcook them! Our Mama's always cooked the shit out of pork chops until they tasted like a shoe. They just need to be 150 degrees internal temperature! Get the thick ones, so you have something to work with!

Ours were on sale today for $5.99 a lb. and you got free soup and a bottle of awesome salad dressing for FREE! Helluva deal, if you ask me.

Serve with rice steamed in chicken stock and some freshly grated lemon peel.

Eat pork. It is healthy, satisfying, and a welcome prelude to all of the damned turkey we're gonna have to eat in a few weeks.

I'm taking a class tomorrow night on cast iron cooking......so see y'all on Friday!