# How to? 2" Thick Pork Chops?



## camping hoosiers (Nov 10, 2007)

There is a place we go on occasion over in western Kentucky called Patti's 1800's Settlement. The specialty of the house is their 2" pork chop. It is wonderful. Perfectly done moist and tender throughout. Its not smoked though.

I'm trying to figure out how to cook something like this. I was thinking of tossing it on a how grill for a few minutes to sear it, then move it over to the smoker and smoke it at a lower temp. This should retain the moisture and make it tender I hope.

I would think if you tried to do this on a grill that you would risk drying it out and making it tough by the time it was done.

Any thoughts on how to do this?

See ya, jeff


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## richtee (Nov 10, 2007)

No doubt brined.... look up brines here...lots of info!
General recipe:
1C KOSHER salt/gallon of water
with pork... add sage, celery seed. perhaps mustard powder, onion powder. Garlic too  if ya love it like me. Savory, rosemary, cumin...all options too
1/4 cup brown sugar for you sweet folks..but that amount won't really be "sweet". A half will do that.

On edit.. always rinse brined meats in cold water before cooking!


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## glued2it (Nov 10, 2007)

I've been grilling pork chops all my life. I usually do butterfly's because they are thicker.

I cook them like a steak (but longer of course) and they are always juicy and tender throughout! no special technique


Rictee's right if brine them you will get the outcome, but they will get hammy the longer you brine it. 
I've brined them for breakfast ham!


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## cowgirl (Nov 10, 2007)

I agree with the brine too. For chops that thick, I like to leave them in the brine for at least 6 hours and as long as overnight.

I start with 8 cups of water
1/4/cup of kosher salt
1/2 cup of sugar (white or brown)
Then add my favorites....garlic, onion, crushed red peppers, bay leaves..what ever you like.

Good luck with them....what ever you decide to do.


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## goat (Nov 10, 2007)

I just season mine and cook them slow on a grill.  If I soak them in anything, it is just Dr. Pepper.


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## policecom (Nov 10, 2007)

What does Dr. Pepper do to meat?


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## goat (Nov 10, 2007)

It is a tenderizer and gives a little sweet flavor off to the meat of choice.


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## gypsyseagod (Nov 10, 2007)

butterfly those things & add stuffing....


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## glued2it (Nov 10, 2007)

add stuffing to pork chops?


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## gypsyseagod (Nov 10, 2007)

yeah smoked garlic,almond,romano cheese stuffed porkchops- marinade the chops in beer & balsamic.


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## smokin for life (Nov 10, 2007)

When ever I grill chops that thick I'll brine them about 12 hours, rise them off good. Add a little of Jeff's rub. Throw them on the grill over a high flame for 2 minutes, turn them 1/4 turn for another 2 minutes. Flip them over and do it again (that gives them that cool grill marks). Then lower the heat to med, and cook them for around 7 minutes on each side or untill you get a temp of around 150. Let them rest a few minutes and then munch out.


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## blacknbluedog (Nov 10, 2007)

I just read an article in Cooks Illustrated about cooking pork chops. The gist of the article was that when they seared the chops over high heat to brown them they lost a lot of moisture. The most moist chops where started in a cold frying pan and cooked over medium heat for a few minutes each side then covered and cooked over low heat till done. The biggest drawback was color. They also found that cooking to an internal temp higher than 140 degrees resuted in tough dry chops. It seems kinda low but that is what the article says. Hope this info is useful.
Brian


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## kew_el_steve (Nov 10, 2007)

What Gypsy said.


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## pescadero (Nov 11, 2007)

I have done a ton of thick pork. Big thick Chops and sometimes thick slices off very lean, boneless loins. Stuff like that.

My approach will differ from what you have heard here. Not that it is right or wrong, better or worse. (Sounds like a vow of some sort, doesn't it?) 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I get teased a lot about my encouraging 'Cold Smoking'. There are only a few of us who really support the method. Salmonclubber is another that comes to mind. But it really is the solution to a lot of these problems. I grew up with it, so guess it is just a habit now!

What I do is either "Cold Smoke" at 80-90F. Running some good smoke against the meat, without going over 100F. OR, if "Hot Smoking", I stay as low as I possibly can go, and still generate smoke. 

Either way, when I am done, I have a still raw piece of meat. It has simply been deliciously flavored with my 'smoke of the day'. I really like fruit woods for Pork.

Then, I proceed to actually cook the meat, however the mood strikes. On any given day, this may be Grilling on BBQ, back into the Smoker, Broiling in the oven, or even, God Forbid, pan frying. It really doesn't matter. It is now a deliciously smoked piece of meat and will turn out wonderful. 

My actual choice is a quick Grilling on the BBQ. For me, it seems to sear the surface and seal in the juices and my family treats me like a King. (I noticed that BlacknBlueDog made a post mentioning that searing can cause dryness. I agree with that, if it is too hot and too long. I just zap the outside, then turn it down and cook, staying low and slow, like he says. In today's world, it is almost impossible to get Tric, so the old rule of cooking Pork to well done, no longer needs to be followed. I sear, then cook to a medium doneness. Outside looks great, although inside may still have a slight tinge of pinkish. But, not to worry.)

I may get a lot of disagreements here, but this sure does work for me. 

Huey, jump in here and give your thoughts!!

Skip


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## squeezy (Nov 11, 2007)

I definitely agree ... tender cuts are always at best, a little pink in the middle ...


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## deejaydebi (Nov 11, 2007)

I like to butterfly, tuck in a slice of proscuttio and provolone cheese, stuff it  mushroom/onion/cornbread stuffing, sometimes add a bit of finely minced red peppers, then spritz the outside with EVOO, sprinkle the outside with garlic and onion powder and a very light coating of powdered ritz crackers and smoke or bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, flip and spritz again with EVOO and cook for about another about another10 minutes. 

Never served a dry chop yet!


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## bbq bubba (Nov 11, 2007)

I think you guy's buried him with idea's 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




Hello.............Jeff, where's them chop's???


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## squeezy (Nov 11, 2007)

Whoa!  mom, that sounds like Cordon Bleu with a lot of Italian attitude!

Right on!


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## pescadero (Nov 11, 2007)

I just did a "MapQuest" for your address.  I am on the way!!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I'll use the secret knock, so you will know it is me!!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Skip


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## goat (Nov 11, 2007)

They should be cooking some thick ones at the NAILE Stock Show in Louisville,KY right now.  I eat them every time I go and they are, as Tony the Tiger would say, GRRRREAT.


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## smokin for life (Nov 11, 2007)

This method is use when you're cooking them in a frying pan on the range. When you're cooking them over an open flame it's a little different. I (just my opinion) wouldn't cook a chop that thick in a pan, I'd want to hear that sucker sizzleing over the flame.


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## jmedic25 (Nov 11, 2007)

Skip how do you keep the meat out of the danger zone when cold smoking? Sounds interesting!


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## pescadero (Nov 11, 2007)

You have a good question here.  The simple answer is, that you can't keep it out.
This is a judgement call.  I don't want to be controversial, so will try to avoid that.  In checking through the USDA extension service information and what several college culinary schools say, I have found the following consensus.  They are seperate, individual statements.  I just lumped them all together, when making my descision, and have made my peace with it.

1)  First, most everyone agrees that bacteria can begin to grow whenever the food is in the danger zone, generally considered to be 40F to 140F.

2)  Secondly, although bacteria is growing and multiples rapidly, it takes about two hours to reach the serious danger point.

3)  Hot smoking would eliminate this concern, but unfortunately does not give me the results I want.

Normally when smoking, I prefer to use chunks and larger pieces of wood.  (In some of my posts, for example those on fish and shellfish, I have encouraged chips)  The reason for this is that I am NOT trying to COOK the food.  I am simply trying to impart that great smokey flavoring, as quickly as I can, and then move on to the actual cooking method.

My rational has been that if I use chips, I generate smoke much quicker and at a much lower temp than if trying to use chunks.  This allows me to Cold Smoke, or even Warm Smoke, but the key thing is that the process is over quickly.  I can use chips, run a couple pans against the Pork, achieve the smokey flavor and be on to the higher, safer temps, in 30 to 45 minutes.  Certainly less than an hour.

I know others may disagree.  I don't want to argue with what anyone else thinks or does.  I am just trying to answer your question by explaining what I do, and why.  I have just made the judgement call, that If I adhere to this strict timetable, I can get into the danger zone and back out again before having much of a risk.  I feel that on a compressed smoking timetable like this, the bacterial growth is minimal and rely on the actual cooking process to kill what little does develop.

Don't know if that clarifies anything, but this is what I do and the reason I do it.   Good news is I have never had a problem after a lifetime of using this method. 

Skip


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## squeezy (Nov 11, 2007)

I agree with you in theory ... if you know you have the freshest meat, that short of time will not give bacteria much time to grow ... it's not like sitting on the kitchen counter all day now is it?
If in doubt ... give it to me ... I'll eat just about anything that moves slower than me....


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## cowgirl (Nov 11, 2007)

skip, I like to cold smoke in the 80 to 90 degree range. I only cold smoke cured meats. Then I cook them later.


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## jmedic25 (Nov 11, 2007)

Yeah I get it!! I like the idea.  I really doubt that you will grow any bacteria in less than an hour.  And I guess you kill any bacteria during the grilling process anyway.  I will try it.


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## pescadero (Nov 12, 2007)

Send me an e-mail or PM and let me know how you did and how you liked it.

Good luck and have fun.

Skip


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## deejaydebi (Nov 12, 2007)

Well Squeezy I am half Italian and half Canadian French!  Mama was Italian so my cooking influence came from her.


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## jmedic25 (Nov 13, 2007)

It will be a few days before I cook again.  I just got 3 wisdom teeth bashed out. But I will let you know!


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## hawgheaven (Nov 13, 2007)

When I do thick chops, I use my Weber kettle. I use lump charcoal with some small wood chunks thrown in. I get the grill grate good and hot, then place the chops on the grill long enough to get a grill mark, then rotate 45Âº to get the crossing grill mark, then flip and repeat. Once the marks are there, turn down the heat and finish the cook, flipping them often and basting with apple juice. Sometimes at the end of the cook, I'll add some BBQ sauce.

I haven't dried one out yet!


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## pescadero (Nov 13, 2007)

medic:

I feel your pain brother.  I have gone through that.  Hang in there.  A good smoke will be your reward for what you are going through.

Skip


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## jmedic25 (Nov 13, 2007)

At least I have a full bottle of painkillers and a wonderful wife/beckond call girl...


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