I have been prepping this since yesterday and will light a fire this afternoon. https://jesspryles.com/recipe/...y-smoked-pork-chops/ What bugs me about pork is that if you are smoking a pork butt, when it's done you can pull it apart with claws or your hands. When you do any other cut of pork they tell you that if you over cook it, it will be tough as shoe leather. Where's that "sweet spot" with pork chops? I don't need it to turn to pulled-pork, but I'm not keen on shoe leather either.

Ken, I will be interested in the responses you get. The only way I have had remotely tender pork chops is a wet cook/braise of some sort.

quote:

Where's that "sweet spot" with pork chops?

My guess would be an internal temp of 150 degrees or so, pork chops dry out easily and are not ideal for low and slow, I prefer searing and cooking at a quick, high temp, then let it rest.

I smoke pork chops at 250 +-. I take them to 143 degrees and let rest. Always juicy, tender and flavorful.

I PM'ed you 2 pictures. I don't know if they went through.

Have not received the photos yet.

I'm doing a quirky "smoke". My wife doesn't like a real smokey flavor. I'm going to:

Smoke them using a smoke tube (apple pellets) for about thirty minutes
Sear them for about a minute per side and edges
Wrap them in foil and slip them in my stick-burner smoker (225-250) until they hit 140, then let them rest.

I have two double-cut chops and one single for three people.

Ken, I bet that'll work.

This is what I would like to replicate. https://perryssteakhouse.com/f...orkchop/#famous-chop Perry's (seven-finger) pork chop just melts in your mouth.

Unbelievably moist and tender. It far exceeded my expectations.

I did the prep exactly as described on the Jess Pryles link in my opening email.

The cook went like this:

1. Using a smoke tube with apple wood pellets in my stick burner, I smoked the chops for thirty minutes. (I would go for an hour next time.)

2. Then I seared both sides on an infrared grill for one minute (I would do two minutes next time.) and on the fat-cap edge for one minute.

3. In the mean time I had my smoker (stick burner) coming up to 225-250.

4. I wrapped the chops in foil and put them in the smoker for one hour.

5. They hit 140 and I removed them from the heat to rest. (Next time I will take them to 143; MeMe's number.)

The pork chops were from a good meat market and I had them double-cut. (Two double-cut pork chops served three people.)

My wife and step-son both commented on the taste and tenderness. I think I would single cut the chops next time, and although I used considerable rub during the prep, I would be even more liberal next time.

A great meal with a good bottle of wine.

PM your email and I will send the pictures that way. Don't go single cut. They need to be thick to hold the juice and gain flavor.

I agree, the thicker the better. I have had good luck in the past using a marinade of oil + vinegar salad dressing for 24 hours.

I am going to single-cut them next time, but stack them in the same foil when smoking, like pancakes. Probably not as good as double-cut, but I will give it a go.

One other thing. The brine solution called for a 4-6 hour soak. I left them overnight.

I cut the meat about 3/8" thick to begin with and it pulled apart with the fingers like a perfectly smoked brisket.

Wow. I am impressed and hope to try this. When you say double cut, are you talking two inches thick or so?

It was at least 2 inches thick. A real hunk of meat. I looked at the single cut pork chops in the display and my piece of meat was equal to about three of them.

My surprise was that I thought I could use a knife and split the double-cut after cooking. The bone was solid through the "back" side, so that wasn't happening.

My guess is that a meat market would cut to suit. You could tell them 2" and get it.

I take thick chops and place them on my masterbuilt smoker at about 190 degrees for about 2 hours using applewood charcoal then turn up to 350 degrees until I get the internal temp up to about 150 degrees let rest and enjoy. They have always been very tender. I use center cut bone in chops.

I stopped at a newly opened butcher shop in town today with your pork chop recipe in mind. All they had was frozen boneless cuts with all of the fat trimmed off and thin cut. I was mortified, no way it could be grilled. I left empty handed. I will never go back nor would I ever let them butcher any of my livestock.

Bad recommendations seem to travel faster than good ones so it behooves new (+ existing) businesses to provide exemplary service (something that seems to be lacking these days) But you are right, Ann. You are the customer paying your money, you should get what you want the way you want it. Not to mention that if you are bringing your stock into the locker plant you have additional clout.

I have done "Cowboy cut Chops" at about 210/225 with a combination of Oak, Pecan and Hickory until internal was about 140 F , then vacuum seal and when I wanted one, take one out just heat in a cast iron pan until hot with a bit of butter, bacon grease or olive oil, tastes like ham usually and not dry.

Mike, did your bottle of Smokey Mo's BBQ sauce get there today?

Brining is the key in that recipe. I always brine chicken, turkey and pork chops. It's incredible how juicy they remain and how tender they are.