Pork chops are the only meat that consistantly gives me grief. The taste is always great, but they always come out dry. Moist and juicy would be nice. Actually just moist, not real juicy, would suit me just fine.
I was talking about my problem with Chef Jimmy J, and he said that the secret to moist chops was in the brining. Now I've never brined pork chops before, so JJ sent me the recipe for his Apple Pork Brine.
So, off to Costco for a package of Loin center cut pork chops. I figured since I was firing up the smoker I might as well do 4 chops. That way, Miss Linda and I could have a second meal from one smoke. I mixed up 1 quart of JJ's brine and filled a gallon zip lock bag with it and 4 chops.
When Miss Linda got home, I discovered that I hadn't been paying attention when she told me that she was leaving for Calgary to see her Dad this weekend. Hmmmm. That's a lot of chops for one person. Oh well. I left them in the brine for 36 hours, in the fridge, took them out, rinsed them well, and dried them. Looking good. About 2" thick.
OK..now we're ready for a good coating of Teddy's Happy Hog Butt Rub.
Now back into the fridge, covered, for 2 hours. I fired up the MES and let it heat for an hour, getting the temp to sit at a steady 240*.
For wood, I chose a mix of 50% Maple, 25% Hickory, and 25% Cherry--adds great taste and aroma to the meat.
Let the games begin, it was time to put the meat in the smoker.
I let the chops cook, with smoke, for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 240*, and pulled them out when the IT reached 140*.
Looking good. But they always look and taste good. The real question is--are they nice and moist?????
"
With they meat covered and tented, I got the rest of supper ready. Then it was time to eat. Time to see who had won the struggle this time--the chops or me.
Well, there's only one way to find out---slice off a piece and see if its dry. Yeah, I know, lousy photography.
You can't see it, but the meat is a lovely pink and very MOIST. Yes! Moist!!!!! Thanks to JJ for sharing his brine recipe with me, I have finally achieved a finished product I'm happy with--Dellicious, Moist pork chops.
Thanks for looking
Gary
I was talking about my problem with Chef Jimmy J, and he said that the secret to moist chops was in the brining. Now I've never brined pork chops before, so JJ sent me the recipe for his Apple Pork Brine.
So, off to Costco for a package of Loin center cut pork chops. I figured since I was firing up the smoker I might as well do 4 chops. That way, Miss Linda and I could have a second meal from one smoke. I mixed up 1 quart of JJ's brine and filled a gallon zip lock bag with it and 4 chops.
When Miss Linda got home, I discovered that I hadn't been paying attention when she told me that she was leaving for Calgary to see her Dad this weekend. Hmmmm. That's a lot of chops for one person. Oh well. I left them in the brine for 36 hours, in the fridge, took them out, rinsed them well, and dried them. Looking good. About 2" thick.
OK..now we're ready for a good coating of Teddy's Happy Hog Butt Rub.
Now back into the fridge, covered, for 2 hours. I fired up the MES and let it heat for an hour, getting the temp to sit at a steady 240*.
For wood, I chose a mix of 50% Maple, 25% Hickory, and 25% Cherry--adds great taste and aroma to the meat.
Let the games begin, it was time to put the meat in the smoker.
I let the chops cook, with smoke, for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 240*, and pulled them out when the IT reached 140*.
Looking good. But they always look and taste good. The real question is--are they nice and moist?????
"
With they meat covered and tented, I got the rest of supper ready. Then it was time to eat. Time to see who had won the struggle this time--the chops or me.
Well, there's only one way to find out---slice off a piece and see if its dry. Yeah, I know, lousy photography.
You can't see it, but the meat is a lovely pink and very MOIST. Yes! Moist!!!!! Thanks to JJ for sharing his brine recipe with me, I have finally achieved a finished product I'm happy with--Dellicious, Moist pork chops.
Thanks for looking
Gary
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