Smoked Pork Chop Milanese with Chili-Garlic Rapini

I’ve mentioned it before that pork chops can be pretty hit or miss. Some people will claim they’re dry and tasteless, but I have found the best way to make a juicy and moist pork chop every time. If you guessed the reverse smoke/sear method, then you are correct. Smoking your pork chops low and slow and then hitting them on the grill to sear, will make the best pork chops. For this recipe, I switched it up a bit and decided to make smoked pork chop Milanese, mixing a little bit of my Italian roots with bbq. I smoked my pork chops super low, for a short amount of time, and then breaded and fried them in oil on my Alchemy plancha. My pork chops came out juicy on the inside with a light smoky flavour and crispy and golden on the outside. I paired my pork chops with blistered cherry tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil and grilled chili-garlic rapini. But the extra special touch was adding thick slices of grilled fresh mozzarella cheese on top. The bottom of the cheese gets golden and melty, paired with the garlicky cherry tomatoes, heat from the chili-garlic rapini and crispy smoked pork chop, you get the perfect bite. If you want to find out how to make my Smoked Pork Chop Milanese with Grilled Chili-Garlic Rapini keep reading or jump to the full recipe.

Preheat your smoker to 200F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. For your pork chop, you can get one double rack chop and butterfly it yourself or get two single rack bone-in pork chops. I decided to get a double rack pork chop and butterfly it myself to get two single pork chops.

Using a piece of plastic wrap to cover your meat, pound your pork chop to about ½ an inch thick.

Drizzle all sides with olive oil and season with salt. Place in the smoker for 5-6 minutes.

Place a small cast iron pan onto the plancha, add in olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the cherry tomatoes and allow to cook and blister, stirring occasionally.

Add your rapini to the boiling water to blanche, about 1-2 minutes.

Remove the rapini from the water and place directly on your plancha. Drizzle with olive oil and allow to grill.

Once your cherry tomatoes have softened, use a spoon to crush them, keep cooking. Chop your fresh basil and add to the tomatoes, add salt and stir.

Remove your pork chops from the smoker. Set up three bowls. In one add your all-purpose flour, then your eggs and beat, and then the seasoned breadcrumbs.

Dip each pork chop starting with the flour and then the egg, making sure to coat the entire pork chop, excluding the bone.

The last step after the egg wash is to dip your pork chops in the seasoned breadcrumbs and cover them fully on all sides.

Drizzle olive oil straight onto the plancha and place your breaded pork chops on top. Allow to fry, moving and turning often, add more oil when needed.

Remove the rapini from the grill and roughly chop, add into a bowl. Chop your fresh garlic and add to the rapini with hot chilies and salt, stir.

Once the pork chops are a nice golden brown, remove from the grill. Cut two thick slices of fresh mozzarella and place on the plancha, allow the bottom to melt, bubble and crisp up slightly.

To plate, put your chili-garlic rapini on your plate, place your pork chops on top, then season with salt and pepper. Spoon your blistered tomatoes onto the pork chops and then add your grilled mozzarella cheese on top.

And now for the full recipe...

Smoked Pork Chop Milanese with Grilled Chili-Garlic Rapini

Makes 2 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 double rack pork chop (butterflied) or two single rack pork chops

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup flour

3 eggs

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp finely chopped basil

1 bunch rapini

¼ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 heaping tbsp hot chilies in oil

Salt & pepper to taste

2 x 20g medallions of fresh mozzarella

How to Make Smoked Pork Chop Milanese with Chili-Garlic Rapini

Preheat your smoker to 200F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

For your pork chop, you can get one double rack chop and butterfly it yourself or get two single rack bone-in pork chops. Using a piece of plastic wrap to cover your meat, pound your pork chop to about ½ an inch thick. Drizzle all sides with olive oil and season with salt. Place in the smoker for 5-6 minutes.

Place a small cast iron pan onto the plancha, add in olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the cherry tomatoes and allow to cook and blister, stirring occasionally.

Add your rapini to the boiling water to blanche, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the rapini from the water and place directly on your plancha. Drizzle with olive oil and allow to grill.

Once your cherry tomatoes have softened, use a spoon to crush them, keep cooking. Chop your fresh basil and add to the tomatoes, add salt and stir.

Remove your pork chops from the smoker. Set up three bowls. In one add your all-purpose flour, then your eggs and beat, and then the seasoned breadcrumbs. Dip each pork chop starting with the flour, then egg then breadcrumbs, until fully coated. Drizzle olive oil straight onto the plancha and place your breaded pork chops on top. Allow to fry, moving and turning often, add more oil when needed.

Remove the rapini from the grill and roughly chop, add into a bowl. Chop your fresh garlic and add to the rapini with hot chilies and salt, stir.

Once the pork chops are a nice golden brown, remove from the grill. Cut two thick slices of fresh mozzarella and place on the plancha, allow the bottom to melt, bubble and crisp up slightly.

To plate, put your chili-garlic rapini on your plate, place your pork chops on top, then season with salt and pepper. Spoon your blistered tomatoes onto the pork chops and then add your grilled mozzarella cheese on top.

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