Sunday Best Stuffed Pork Chops

The author copies arrived on Tuesday. A box of ten. I opened it in the kitchen and Patrick was at the table and I set one on the table in front of him without saying anything. He picked it up — slowly, with both hands, the way he handles things he wants to be careful with — and looked at the cover and then opened to the dedication page. I'd dedicated it to Patrick and to Tom Whelan and to anyone who has ever put something up for winter. He read the dedication page twice, set the book down, and was quiet for a moment. Then he said: "I'm proud of you."

He doesn't say that often. He doesn't need to say it often for it to land.

I drove one over to Tom that afternoon. He read the first three pages standing in his kitchen and then sat down and read the next twenty before he looked up. He said: "This is the real thing, Ryan." I told him he was biased. He said: "Of course I am." He put the book on his kitchen table and when I left it was still there, open.

I sent one to Linda by priority mail. I sent one to Margaret. I sent one to Dr. Crain with a note that said: "Thank you for the conversation." She sent back an email that said "the conversation continues." I put that in the folder.

One goes on the shelf next to Tom's mule book, between the cookbooks and the ranch journals. That's where it lives now. I stood in front of the shelf for a minute and thought about the other things on those shelves — the collected weight of what mattered to me, the record of attention — and thought about what it meant to add to it. Not to replace anything. To add. The shelf gets heavier. That's what a life does.

Made the same asparagus pasta I make every spring — not because I don't know other recipes but because returning to it every April is itself the point. Tradition is the form that love takes when time is involved. I wrote that in the May chapter of the book. I believe it now even more than when I wrote it.

That evening, after the asparagus pasta and after Patrick had gone quiet with the book in his hands, I kept thinking about what we reach for when something actually happens — when a day steps out of the ordinary and asks to be treated accordingly. The asparagus pasta is April’s ritual, and I’ve written about what ritual means. But there are other days that call for something more deliberate, more structured, something that takes a little more from you in the kitchen because the occasion has already taken a little more from you in every other way. Sunday Best Stuffed Pork Chops are that meal for me: the one I make when I want the food itself to say “this mattered.”

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops, 1 1/4 inches thick (about 8 oz each), pocket-cut
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread stuffing mix
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Toothpicks or kitchen twine, to secure

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or use a 9x13 baking dish.
Soften the aromatics. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add celery and onion and cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Remove from heat.
Make the stuffing. Combine the stuffing mix with the cooked celery and onion, chicken broth, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter (melted). Stir until the broth is absorbed and the stuffing holds together loosely. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Stuff the chops. Pat pork chops dry. Open each pocket and spoon in 3–4 tablespoons of stuffing, pressing gently to fill without tearing. Secure the opening with 1–2 toothpicks.
Season the outside. Mix garlic powder, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub evenly over the outside of each stuffed chop.
Sear for color. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chops 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to the prepared baking dish if your skillet is not oven-safe.
Roast to finish. Bake uncovered at 375°F for 25–30 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 145°F. Rest 5 minutes before removing toothpicks and serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sunday Best Stuffed Pork Chops — The Meal That Honors the Moment