As many of our readers know, I grew up in Tennessee with all the culinary goodness of southern food and a fondness for BBQ. When I discovered that we have an Alabama BBQ sauce company in Spokane, I knew I was in for a homespun treat! My editor gifted me a couple bottles of Ms. Dot’s Southern White BBQ Sauce back in January and I couldn’t wait to give it a try, but Covid had other plans for my taste buds so I had to practice patience. And boy howdy, it was worth the wait. I have so many more recipe ideas that I want to try out with this sauce! But here is the first one I did. I knew the sweetness of the sauce would compliment pork very well. Now we have Ms Dots Marinated Chops.
3 pounds pork loin chops
1 C Ms. Dots Southern White BBQ Sauce
Seasoned Bread Crumb Mix:
1 C plain bread crumbs
1 t chili powder
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
I prefer bone-in pork chops, but the pork tenderloin chops were on a killer sale, so that’s what I bought. Tip: When you’re buying your chops, make sure they are all about the same thickness so they will be done cooking at the same time.
Pat your chops with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and add them to a large zip lock bag. Pour in Ms Dots White BBQ Sauce. Zip it up, lay flat and allow your chops to marinate at least an hour (if you can do this overnight that would be so good but I’m a forgetful cook and an hour works fine).
Preheat your oven to 375, spray your large broiler pan with nonstick spray. Mix up your seasoned bread crumbs in a shallow bowl with a well fitting lid or a gallon size ziploc bag. Dredge your marinated chops one at a time in the seasoned bread crumb mixture making sure your chop is well coated, place on your broiler pan. Tip: If you don’t have a broiler pan, you can use a 9×13 baking dish. I sprinkle any remaining breadcrumbs over the chops after they’ve been dredged, for added crunch and flavor. Be sure to toss out the bag the chops were marinating in, you CANNOT reuse any leftover sauce.
Now this is where it gets a little tricky in the recipe writing process. I had about 1 inch thick chops and it took exactly 26 minutes for them to come to temperature to be pulled from the oven, if you have thinner chops or bone in chops, your cooking time will change. I used a digital meat thermometer that I programmed to alarm at 160 degrees to pull the meat from the oven. If you don’t have this, a good way to check for doneness is to prick your thickest chop and if the juices run clear you’re good to go. If the juices are pink, it needs more time. When your meat comes to temperature, pull from the oven and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with a side of Ms Dots BBQ sauce for dipping. I thought the flavor and moistness was perfect without dipping, but my kids loved that sauce so much, they dipped every forkful of pork chop in the White BBQ Sauce. As my husband pointed out, I served it up like a traditional Nashville “meat and 3” with a side of green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, mac & cheese, and dinner roll. And of course, sweet tea. But whatever sides you pick will work just fine. If I had the time I would’ve made up some cinnamon apples, so I’ll save that for the next go ‘round.
Let us know what you think by sending an email to elizabeth@huckleberrypress.com.
