Many years ago, long before I had the house and the Big Green Egg, there was a butcher shop in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ that had some really wonderful treats. Among them were the smoked pork chops.
While I don’t have his recipe, I kind of figured out how he would have gone about it. I wish I had his recipe for the pinwheels that he sold, they are the best I’ve ever had.
I start by brining a bone in pork rib roast or rack of pork. After a few days to a week of brining, I smoke the roast low and slow with hickory chunks.
In this particular recipe, I smoked it at a temperature between 200° and 225° for about 7 ½ hours. The Big Green Egg is my tool of choice.
After slicing off pork chops, you can eat them as is, or do a quick sear on each side of the chop to add grill marks and character. These pork chops are amazingly flavorful and juicy.
1 rack of pork. I had 5 ribs but if you can get a bigger rack, go for it
1 gallon of water
1 cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of kosher salt - which is about a 3% brine, you could go as high as ¾ or even a cup of kosher salt safely but I prefer ½ cup
A few peppercorns
A few coriander seeds
2 bay leaves
Maybe some crushed garlic (optional)
Maybe ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar (optional)
Dissolve the sugar and salt in the water. You can do this by boiling it or just stir it. If you boil it, make sure it is completely cooled before placing the pork inside.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the brine
Place the pork roast inside of a 2 ½ gallon food storage bag
Place the bag with the pork inside of a stock pot so that it does not tip over and spill.
Pour the brine into the bag with the pork
Seal the bag and let it sit in the fridge for 3 days to a week.
If you have a smoker, prepare the smoker to smoke this roast at 200° for 7 – 8 hours or until the meat reaches 160°
I typically fill the fire box of my Big Green Egg to the top and add a couple of hickory chunks. I must admit that this go around, I may have added too much smoke. Maybe next time I’ll use less hickory.
After the fire is lit, I put the grill rack in place and place a pizza stone on top of it. My roasting pan on top of the pizza stone and the pork in a rack in the roasting pan. This guarantees that the heat is even and indirect.
If you don’t have a smoker, you can bake it slow in the oven. Your pork chops won’t be smoked, but they will still be tender, juicy, and delicious.
After the pork reaches 160° – 165° let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
Kiss yourself for making deliciousness
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