Hello! In case you didn’t already know, I am the host of “Viral Kitchen”, a show where I create a dish based on the internet happenings that week. What fun!

In light or Kim and Kanye’s new baby, I made Southwestern bone in pork rib chops with bacon wrapped asparagus and whiskey apples. Here’s the recipe.

The rub:

In a small bowl mix together 1 tbsp each cumin, cayenne, chili powder, ½ tbsp garlic power, generous pinch of salt and pepper. Rub the rub into the meat and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

The apples:

Chop one apple into manageable pieces. (whatever apple you want! Royal gala works nicely.) Sautee in coconut oil with ½ tsp cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and dash of sherry vinegar and dash of spice box whiskey. You can do lemon juice instead of the vinegar and any whiskey will do. I like the sweetness of spicebox. Let it cook on low until the apples are soft and tender.

The bacon wrapped asparagus:

Pre-cook your bacon( but not too much! It can’t get crispy or it won’t wrap properly.) Pre-cook your asparagus for 2 minutes in the microwave. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking further. Wrap bacon around 4 asparagus spears and reheat in bacon grease pan. (why the hell not?)

Cooking the pork:

In a cast iron grill pan or skillet, sear the pork 3 minutes per side. Transfer entire pan to oven on middle rack at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5. Ideally I’d like to have a meat thermometer because I overcooked my pork. It was still delicious because the bone and fat helped keep the moisture and flavor.

I would make this again in a heart beat. I never usually buy bone in pork chops, but they were on special this week at my butcher so I thought I’d try them! The sweetness from the apples is a nice break from the spicy pork rub and bacon wrapped asparagus is always a home run. Squeeze some fresh lime juice on the pork and fresh lemon juice on the asparagus for a pop of brightness! Yes I know it seems like a lot of pork, but sometimes that’s how the cookie crumbles.