Yesterday I decided to smoke some pork chops. Bad idea. I've read lots of advice recommending not to do it, but you know how that goes--ya just gotta try.
Thursday, I was in Edmonton and, since I was out of Todd's pellets, I headed over to my goto shop to get some. They were out, and would have to order me some. I looked around, and saw these:
Oak pellets with oregano, rosemary and thyme. Looked interesting, so I picked up a bag to try. The smell was fantastic when I opened the bag at home--the kitchen suddenly smelled just like an Italian restaurant!.
I thawed out the pork chops (about 1" to 1 1/2" thick), coated them in EVOO, and made up a simple rub of coarse ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and lots of lemon pepper.
I fired up the smoker, and had the temp sitting at a steady 240 degrees. Got the AMNPS burning nicely--what a great smell coming from those herb and oak pellets. Put the meat on and sat back to wait.
Well, the weather went to Hell in a hurry--turned cold and windy (a raw, cold, gusty wind). Immediately started having problems keeping the temp at a steady 240, but persevered. Pulled the chops at an IT of 140 degrees, and took a picture.
[sup][sub]The Film Board of Canada has determined that all remaining pictures contain material that WILL be disturbing to ALL viewers[/sub][/sup].
OK, so much for the qview. I was pretty concerned when I pulled them. I didn't do a toothpick test, as I decided that I would have to use a carbon fiber chopstick and expected it to shatter. LOL.
After foiling and wrapping the chops in towels to await the rice, I got out my oilstone and touched up the edges on a couple of steak knives--good thing I did.
The smell and taste were terrific--the herb smoke went all through the chops. Unfortunately, as expected, the chops were very dry and tough. We still enjoyed the meal, but out jaws and teeth got a severe workout.
Lesson learned: Pork chops will, in the future be cooked on the grill, and I will definitely use these pellets again.
Thanks for looking
Gary
y
Thursday, I was in Edmonton and, since I was out of Todd's pellets, I headed over to my goto shop to get some. They were out, and would have to order me some. I looked around, and saw these:
Oak pellets with oregano, rosemary and thyme. Looked interesting, so I picked up a bag to try. The smell was fantastic when I opened the bag at home--the kitchen suddenly smelled just like an Italian restaurant!.
I thawed out the pork chops (about 1" to 1 1/2" thick), coated them in EVOO, and made up a simple rub of coarse ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and lots of lemon pepper.
I fired up the smoker, and had the temp sitting at a steady 240 degrees. Got the AMNPS burning nicely--what a great smell coming from those herb and oak pellets. Put the meat on and sat back to wait.
Well, the weather went to Hell in a hurry--turned cold and windy (a raw, cold, gusty wind). Immediately started having problems keeping the temp at a steady 240, but persevered. Pulled the chops at an IT of 140 degrees, and took a picture.
OK, so much for the qview. I was pretty concerned when I pulled them. I didn't do a toothpick test, as I decided that I would have to use a carbon fiber chopstick and expected it to shatter. LOL.
After foiling and wrapping the chops in towels to await the rice, I got out my oilstone and touched up the edges on a couple of steak knives--good thing I did.
The smell and taste were terrific--the herb smoke went all through the chops. Unfortunately, as expected, the chops were very dry and tough. We still enjoyed the meal, but out jaws and teeth got a severe workout.
Lesson learned: Pork chops will, in the future be cooked on the grill, and I will definitely use these pellets again.
Thanks for looking
Gary
y
