Donnie Wahlberg’s Brother Chef Paul Unveils ‘Blue Bloods’-Inspired Pork Chops Recipe With Family Twist

Donnie Wahlberg’s brother Chef Paul Wahlberg invited Us Weekly into his kitchen as a part of Wahlburgers’ partnership with CBS and Blue Bloods.
As part of the countdown to the Blue Bloods series finale on December 13, Chef Paul, 60, has created a special meal inspired by the Reagan family dinners for fans to enjoy. (Paul’s brother Donnie, 55, plays Detective Danny Reagan on the CBS show.)
Before watching this week’s all-new episode — “Entitlement” is the second to last in the series — Us has the exclusive first look at Paul’s pork chops recipe with apple cider gravy. If this isn’t the perfect meal for the holiday season, we don’t know what is.

“As kids, pork was very inexpensive. My dad used to buy a whole bone-in pork loin, and he’d bone it out,” Paul recalled in the video, noting that he uses French pork chops, so they have a nice center. “He’d roast the bones, and we’d feed it to our dogs and make stock out of them.”
Paul explained that his pork chops recipe is a twist on what his and Donnie’s parents used to make. (The brothers are two of nine children, including actor Mark Wahlberg.)
“This is a little more sophisticated than the way my family used to make it,” Paul said. “We would make pork gravy.”

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Paul’s take on the gravy for his dish features apple cider, which is a staple for the season. “You got a good quality cider, there’s nothing better in that fall season,” he shared.
His elevated sauce, which includes chicken stock and mustard, has helped pass along the tradition of cooking to the next generation of Wahlbergs — much like the Reagan’s tradition to serve and protect the people of New York City.

“What I love about pork chops is now I’m sharing it with my family. My son has fallen in love with this dish. It’s one of his favorite dishes,” Paul revealed. “That connection that I have with my family now he has it with my parents. With his grandmother and grandfather. He kind of has a better understanding where we came from and who we are.”
Not only does Paul make a mean pork chops and apple cider gravy, but he shared the recipe for his side dishes or herb roasted potatoes, green beans and carrots with arugula pesto and pistachio with Us.

Blue Bloods airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. Stream every episode on Paramount+.

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/donnie-wahlbergs-brother-chef-paul-makes-blue-bloods-style-pork-chops/