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Iowa Stuffed Pork Chops

These Iowa chops stuffed with corn, bread, apple and onion are a meal by themselves.

Iowa stuffed pork chop, take five

Iowa stuffed pork chop, take five
It rained most of the Memorial Day weekend. Instead of a cook-out, we had a cook-in — and baked Iowa chops stuffed with corn, bread, apple and onion and glazed with honey mustard. The chops weren’t the only ones who were “stuffed.”

The Story

I have a confession to make. I have lived in Iowa all of my life, and I have never stuffed a pork chop before. I also have never slopped a hog, detasseled corn — or lived on a farm. Prior to college, all I knew about farming came from reading Charlotte’s Web and visiting the Iowa State Fair to see the biggest pig — who was not named Wilbur.

Whenever I travel outside of Iowa, I am surprised to meet people who think all Iowans are farmers. During my first trip to Texas, I met someone who, after discovering I was from Iowa, asked me, “Is that the potato state?” I explained that was Idaho, not Iowa. Then they asked, “What is Iowa known for?” I had to admit it was pigs and corn.

Iowa is the top state in pork production, raising 30 million hogs every year. Iowa is also the top corn-producing state, producing more than 2 billion bushels annually. Here are a few other fun facts about Iowa’s claims to fame:

About The Recipe

This recipe for Iowa Stuffed Chops is from the Best of Iowa cookbook. You can find a similar recipe on the Taste of Home website. The only difference between the two is the chops are stuffed before they are browned in a skillet in the Best of Iowa version.
Best of Iowa Cookbook

The Cast of Characters

These chops really do feature the “best of Iowa,” using both pork and corn.
Iowa stuffed pork chop, take seven

The Play-by-Play

In a large bowl, mix together the corn, onion, apple, bread, sage and parsley.
Making corn and apple stuffing, take three

With a paring knife, make a “pocket” in the pork chops.
Making a pork chop pocket

Spoon the stuffing into the pork chops.
Stuffing chops

Place the chops in a large cast iron skillet.
Grilling chops in skillet, take one

Brown the chops for about 5 minutes on each side.
Grilling pork chops, take one

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, mustard, rosemary and salt.
Honey mustard sauce, take two

Baste the pork chops with the honey mustard sauce.
Basting chops, take one

Bake the chops in the oven for about 1 hour.
Chops in skillet

Let the chops rest for a minute or two, and then dig in!
Iowa stuffed pork chop, take one

Recipe: Iowa Stuffed Chops

Summary: Huge pork chops stuffed with corn, apples, onion and bread — and glazed with honey mustard

Ingredients & Instructions

For the recipe, see the Best of Iowa cookbook or Taste of Home website.

Baking time (duration): 60 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: dinner

My rating: 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)

The Footnotes

  • Selecting Your Chops: If you don’t live in Iowa and don’t have Iowa chops, don’t worry. Any thick pork chop will do. Make sure it is about 1 ½ to 2 inches thick so you have room for stuffing.

  • Cutting a Pocket: Place the chop on a flat surface, and hold it steady with the palm of your hand. Insert a paring knife into the fatty side of the chop to make a slit, running the knife parallel with your hand. Cut a “pocket” for placing the stuffing inside the chop.
  • Stuffing with a Spoon: Use a metal spoon to scoop the stuffing into the chop. You also may need to use your fingers to push in the stuffing. You will be amazed at how much stuffing fits in these chops.
  • Cooking with Cast Iron: I recommend using a cast iron skillet. That way you can brown the chops on the stovetop and bake them in the oven using the same pan. That also means fewer pans to wash.
  • Baking Until Done: Test the chops with a thermometer to make sure they are done. You can either bake them to 145 degrees, now that the USDA has lowered the cooking temperature for pork, or continue to bake them to 160 degrees. I still cook mine to 160.

Additional Resources

Here are a few other stuffed pork chop recipes that look interesting too.

What’s your favorite pork chop recipe?

By Lori

I'm the "girl" in Girl Meets Oven.

8 replies on “Iowa Stuffed Pork Chops”

First of all I hope you had a wonderful memorial day despite the minor annoyance of your local weather not collaborating. I’m not much of a pork eater but I love how you stuffed it with corn, vegetables, fruit and herbs. It sounds like it was a great meal and the pictures are so pretty. Thanks for popping by my blog. I’m glad you did.

Thanks so much. These chops are definitely a meal all by themselves. The holiday weekend was still a lot of fun, even thought we had to cook in instead of cook out. Hope you had a good holiday weekend too.

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