Monday, November 12, 2012

Spice Rubbed Cowboy Chops and Potato Fennel Gratin

Nov 11 2012

Today was a nice 60 deg. fall day, just a little windy. I think it’s about our last nice day before winter weather sets in. It was a fun cook since I was doing two new recipes for the first time. I found both checking out food blogs.

The spice rubbed pork chops I found on choosy-beggars.com. It is written by Mike and Tina as a team, both doing the cooking and writing. Looks like some good food and the writing is done with interesting humor. Go check them out.

I don’t remember where I found the potato fennel gratin; there was no recipe just a general description on how to prepare. I took the time to write a recipe on how I did mine.

This morning I had bacon, fried mush, an egg and some rye toast for my brunch. The last few times I had bacon and mush I did them on the smoker. I was getting a little hungry to fry the mush and egg in bacon grease. On the smoker is a little healthier but you can get the mush crispier and I love the bacon flavor; so I did this inside. The bacon was my favorite, from Kah Meats, my local butcher. It all tasted great.

My wife went to lunch with girlfriends and then to an Art Center about an hour away for a show. The show started at 3:00 pm and she said I should be home before 6 to eat, our usual time for supper. I said I would plan on 6:30 I didn’t want to have it ready early. It’s a good thing, she was 10 minutes late and I had to hold it.

A little after 4:00 I got the potato fennel dish ready and in a preheated 325 deg. oven by 5:00. I started my smoker and got it preheated on smoke mode 170 deg. I did 3 pork chops and did two with the spice rub; the other I just added some Lawry’s seasoning salt. I thought if my wife didn’t like the spice rub she could have the plain one. I got them on at 5:20 and after a half hour on smoke I took 10 minutes to ease the Traeger up to 300 deg. in 25 deg. Increments and did for another 30 minutes. Total cook time was an hour and 10 minutes. I put some Freshlike canned sliced beets on to heat for another side.

At 6:30 all was done but no wife! I turned my oven down to 200 deg. and set the smoker to 180 deg. I would hold it for 15 minutes then eat and the wife could reheat hers. She made it just in time. She liked the spice rubbed chop. I thought it was delicious and the two dishes complimented each other, a marriage of flavors waiting to happen. I had steak knives out but the chops were fork tender!

Printable spice rubbed chops recipe

Printable potato fennel gratin recipe

My Brunch


The spice mix


Slicing the fennel


Making the first layer


First layer done


Second layer done


Pork chops


Chops seasoned with the rub


On the smoker and ready to serve


Potato fennel gratin done


My Plate my Supper


Smokin Don

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