Sous vide cooking has become an increasingly popular technique in recent years for its ability to cook food to precise temperatures. This method involves vacuum sealing food in plastic bags and then immersing it in a water bath that is precisely temperature controlled. Sous vide allows you to cook food evenly throughout while retaining moisture and juices. While sous vide works great for cooking lean cuts of meat like chicken breast, fish, and steak, what about fattier cuts like pork chops? Can you sous vide stuffed pork chops? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of sous vide for cooking stuffed pork chops.
What is Sous Vide Cooking?
Sous vide utilizes precise temperature control to achieve optimal doneness and texture for different foods. Here’s a quick overview of how it works:
- Food is sealed in a vacuum sealed plastic bag, removing air exposure.
- The bag is then submerged in a water bath that is temperature controlled by an immersion circulator or sous vide machine.
- Food cooks slowly and evenly, never exceeding the set temperature.
- Seasonings and aromatics can be added to the bag to infuse flavors.
- Cooking times vary based on thickness of food and desired doneness.
- Once cooked, food is removed from bag and typically seared or browned before serving.
The key benefits to sous vide cooking include:
- Precise temperature control prevents overcooking.
- Slow cooking tenderizes connective tissue.
- Vacuum sealing retains moisture and flavors.
- Food cooks evenly throughout.
- Consistent results; removes user error.
- Makes it easy to cook food ahead of time.
Overall, sous vide allows you to achieve restaurant-quality results at home with a simple process. Now let’s look at how it applies to pork chops specifically.
Benefits of Sous Vide for Pork Chops
Pork chops can easily become dry and overcooked using traditional high heat cooking methods. The low and slow cooking of sous vide helps prevent this. Here are some of the benefits for cooking pork chops with sous vide:
- Guarantees moist, tender pork: The exact temperature control of sous vide means you’ll never overcook pork again. It retains moisture and cooks the meat until tender.
- Consistent doneness throughout: Sous vide cooking avoids the issue of overdone exterior and undercooked center by cooking the pork evenly from edge to edge.
- Forgiving method: Pork chops are difficult to properly cook through without drying out. Sous vide gives you a huge margin of error in achieving the perfect interior while retaining juices.
- Makes it easy to cook ahead: Once cooked sous vide, pork chops can be rapidly chilled in an ice bath and refrigerated for several days until you’re ready to sear and serve them.
- Infuses flavor: Spices, herbs, marinades and aromatics in the bag penetrate deeply into the meat.
- Tenderizes: The low and slow cooking helps break down connective tissue in the pork.
Overall, sous vide takes the guesswork and stress out of cooking juicy, tender pork chops.
Challenges of Sous Vide for Stuffed Pork Chops
While sous vide has some clear advantages for basic pork chops, cooking stuffed chops sous vide does come with some unique challenges. Here are a few to consider:
- Overstuffing can lead to bursting: There is less forgiveness for overstuffing when vacuum sealing pork chops, which can cause them to burst open during cooking.
- Stuffing might not get hot enough: The low sous vide temperature needed for ideal pork texture may not heat the stuffing enough to reach safe eating temperatures internally.
- Juices dilute stuffing: The natural juices released from the pork during sous vide cooking can soak into the stuffing, resulting in a wet or greasy texture.
- Separating temperatures tricky: It can be difficult managing different cook times and temperatures for the pork and the stuffing in the same bag.
- Surface browning lacking: The pork and stuffing will both need additional searing to develop that nice browned exterior.
- Lower capacity: Smaller batch sizes are required to properly control temperature circulation.
While these factors make sous vide stuffed chops a bit more difficult, it is still possible with the right techniques.
Keys to Successful Sous Vide Stuffed Pork Chops
If you want to try your hand at sous vide stuffed pork chops, follow these tips for the best results:
Choose the Right Stuffing
Select a stuffing that can hold up to the sous vide cooking process. Here are some good options:
- Bread based stuffing: Use sturdy cubed bread or breadcrumbs instead of soft pieces.
- Rice:White or wild rice works well and retains texture.
- Orzo pasta: The small shape stands up to prolonged cooking.
- Couscous: Tender grains that absorb surrounding flavors.
On the flip side, avoid very moist stuffings with ingredients like oysters, tomatoes, mushrooms, or leafy greens as they will turn soggy.
Pre-Cook the Stuffing
Par-cooking the stuffing first allows you to better control the temperature and final texture. On the stovetop, heat the stuffing with any aromatics until warmed through before adding to the pork.
Stuff Lightly
Resist overstuffing the pork chops which can lead to bursting when vacuum sealed. Leave at least 1/2 inch of space between the stuffing and edges.
Separate into Two Bags
Use two separate bags, one for the chops and one for any extra stuffing to allow optimal cooking of each component.
Lower Pork Temperature Slightly
Cook the pork at 135°F instead of the usual 140-145°F to account for carryover cooking when searing. This prevents overcooking.
Increase Stuffing Temperature
The stuffing bag can be cooked between 155-165°F to ensure it reaches safe internal hot holding temperatures.
Chill and Sear
After sous vide, quickly chill the pork and stuffing. Then sear together in a hot pan to finish.
Time and Temperature Guidelines
Here are some general time and temperature guidelines when cooking stuffed pork chops sous vide:
| Pork Chop Thickness | Sous Vide Temperature | Cooking Time |
| 1 inch | 135°F / 57°C | 1 – 2 hours |
| 1.5 inches | 135°F / 57°C | 2 – 3 hours |
| 2 inches | 135°F / 57°C | 3 – 4 hours |
For the stuffing:
| Stuffing Quantity | Sous Vide Temperature | Cooking Time |
| Up to 2 cups | 165°F / 74°C | 45 – 60 minutes |
| 3 to 4 cups | 165°F / 74°C | 60 – 75 minutes |
Keep in mind sous vide cooking times are flexible. The pork chops and stuffing can stay in the bath for longer without overcooking.
Sous Vide Stuffed Pork Chop Recipe
This recipe walks through the process of cooking stuffed pork chops sous vide for perfect results:
Ingredients:
- 2 bone-in pork chops, about 1 1⁄2 inches thick (look for chops with a pocket cut into them for stuffing)
- 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries
- 1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 3⁄4 cup bread cubes
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp milk or broth
- 1⁄4 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Make the stuffing: Mix together cranberries, pecans, bread cubes, egg, milk or broth, thyme, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Transfer stuffing to a sous vide bag and vacuum seal. Cook for 1 hour at 165°F.
- Pat pork chops dry and lightly season with salt and pepper. Fill the pocket in each chop with about 1⁄4 cup of stuffing. Seal the openings with toothpicks if needed.
- Vacuum seal chops in a separate bag with any remaining stuffing. Cook for 2-3 hours at 135°F depending on thickness.
- Once cooked, remove bags and submerge in an ice bath to chill pork and stuffing quickly.
- Remove pork and stuffing from bags and pat dry. Sear chops in an oiled pan for 1-2 minutes per side until browned. Serve stuffed chops along with extra stuffing on the side.
The end result is fork-tender pork paired with flavorful stuffing cooked to perfection. While it takes some finesse, sous vide allows you to achieve stellar results with stuffed pork chops.
Can You Sous Vide Already Stuffed Pork Chops?
If you are starting with pre-stuffed pork chops from the grocery store or butcher rather than stuffing them yourself, you can still cook them sous vide. However, most pre-stuffed chops use a very soft bread or cornbread based stuffing that does not hold up well to sous vide.
To adapt the recipe, separate the pork chops and stuffing into individual bags once again. Follow the same temperature guidelines, cooking the pork at 135°F and the stuffing at 165°F. The texture of the stuffing may end up overly soggy, but the pork will still benefit from the precise sous vide temperatures.
You can also remove the store-bought stuffing entirely before sealing the pork chops if you only want to focus on properly cooking the pork itself sous vide without the stuffing.
Topping Options
While searing adds nice caramelized flavor, you may also want to add sauce or other toppings to stuffed pork chops after cooking sous vide. Here are some tasty options:
- Apple chutney or dried fruit compotes
- Spicy mustard or grainy mustard sauces
- Fruit jam or jelly
- Maple balsamic glaze
- Creamy pan gravies or reductions
- Savory onion or mushroom sauces
A dollop of topping can add complementary flavors and moisture to the stuffed chops straight out of the water bath. Brushing chops with a glaze while searing also creates a shiny lacquered finish.
Side Dishes for Stuffed Pork Chops
Stuffed pork chops make a hearty and comforting main course. Pair them with these flavorful side dish options:
- Mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes
- Sauteed green beans
- Roasted brussels sprouts or broccoli
- Winter squash like butternut or acorn
- Scalloped or au gratin potatoes
- Rice pilaf or risotto
- Egg noodles or pasta
- Roasted root vegetables
Hearty sides that soak up any delicious juices or sauces are ideal complements to the stuffed pork chops.
Conclusion
While sous vide cooking does present some unique challenges when applied to stuffed pork chops, the results are worth it. With a few key tips like pre-cooking the stuffing, separating into different bags, and searing after cooking, you can achieve fork-tender pork and perfectly cooked stuffing. Sous vide allows you to recreate stuffed pork chops that rival any restaurant. Serve these impressive yet easy to make chops for a memorable meal that will become a regular in your sous vide recipe rotation.