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I want to make up some smoked pork chops. I tried smoking some a couple years back and they were terrible. We recently purchased some smoked chops from a store. These were very tasty. They taste somewhat like ham. My question is how do you get the chop to taste like this. Do I just use a normal brine, or do you need to use pink salt? Trying to come up with a recipe as I have a bunch of chops in the freezer and this is about the only way my wife will eat them!
Chris has you covered. The pink salt is whats going to give you the ham flavor.Pops brine will work perfect for what your wanting to do. Here is his thread on how to do it.
real simple curing brine: for every 1 gallon of water, add: 1/3 - 1 cup sea salt (depending if you're on a lo-salt diet) 1 cup granulated sugar or Splenda174 1 cup brown sugar or Splenda174 brown sugar mix 1 tbsp cure no. 1 pink salt stir thoroughly until clear amber color, pour over...
Just the cost savings alone make home smoked chops worth it. What did you pay per pound for the butcher shop smoked chops? They are so easy and so good... I considered making some smoked chops for Christmas presents this year.
I do like bone-in ones better but slicing a loin yourself lets you dial in the perfect thickness. If you go the dry cure route, on a bone-in chop, take into account the weight of the bone when you calculate your cure.
I use either a dry Buckboard cure with Tender Quick and give them 48 hours of cure time if they are in the 3/4" thick range. Or Pop's brine works too but I brine for 60 to 72 hours. Stay away from any rub with salt, I mostly use black and white pepper.
For a comparison on color, this is a 7 day Buckboarded pork loin.
~thirdeye's Tender Quick Cure for Buckboard Bacon or Buckboard Chops~
Per ONE pound of pork loin or boneless pork butt:
1 Tablespoon of Tenderquick
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of maple sugar (or brown sugar)
Sprinkle of black pepper to the meat before adding the curing mixture, maybe a little more after the rinse/soak step
(I think the Hi Mountain Buckboard cure has a hint of garlic powder in it too, but the label does not mention it, so if you want to add some that's up to you)
After rinsing, I prefer to refrigerate overnight, uncovered before smoking.
Thanks for all the replies. Thirdeye to answer the question of what I paid it was $4.99 a pound. I know its way cheaper to do on my own and I think I have a project for the weekend now.
Thanks to everyone!
Thanks for all the replies. Thirdeye to answer the question of what I paid it was $4.99 a pound. I know its way cheaper to do on my own and I think I have a project for the weekend now.
Thanks to everyone!
