1st Pork Loin/Chops

[NewToSmok]

New to Smoking, my wife got me a DBS for Fathers Day.  I made a couple rounds of ribs so far figuring things out through searching this site.  they are definitely getting better, but I really wanted to try smoked pork chops.

So I went to Costco to get a pork loin and asked if they had a whole bone in pork loin.  They came back with 25lbs of Pork at 2.08 a pound.  Being Costco that was the only size.  A good deal but 2 whole loins is a lot.

I quickly cut up one of the loins into chops for stuffing, grilling and pan searing.  Got 20 chops out of that one.  I then cut the second loin in half and brined in

1 Gallon Water
1/3 Cup Sea Salt
1/3 Cup Kosher Salt (Mortons)
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup (Grade B as it has a more pronounce maple flavor then the grade A stuff they sell in super markets)
6 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
6 Juniper Berries
Whole White and Black Peppercorns (cracked)
Bunch of Fresh Thyme and Fresh Rosemary

I brined for 5 days.  Removed from brine and let sit for 1 day.

I turned then DBS to 240 heat up and added the Pork turning down to 210 at this point.
Then smoke for 3:20 with Apple
Cooked until Pork read 150
Took Pork out and let rest for 1 hour then cut into chops.

Chops were white, Super Tastey, A little salty but not overly and very tender.
Saved 4 chops for dinner tonight (Grill on High, Cook to warm about 5 minutes at most).

Froze the rest.  Easy dinners already cooked just warm on grill

Just thought I would share this recipe.  Next time I am going to add a little bit of pink curing powder to make nice pink chops, just like my favorite (Kassler Ripchen) growing up.

Your advice has been great.

Look forward to many years of Smoking....Thinking of combining it with my other 2 favorite hobbies Brewing and Drinking Beer.

[Consiglieri]

Sounds tasty.   You mentioned a little extra on the salt finish after brining.  I try to keep salt light on the cooking end, cuz some need less of the stuff (and I probably should include myself in that group).  For curiousity sake, did you soak or rinse the chops after brining?

[Habanero Smoker]

Looks like a nice brine recipe. Depending on the thickness of the loin, I would have only brined it for 8-12 hours.

Adding a pink salt (cure #1), and brining for 5 days will get you Canadian bacon. :)

[NewToSmok]

I did a thorough rinse but not a soak after the brine, would a soak be better? 
I probably will do a shorter brine next time, thanks.

Grilled them up last night and they turned a nice shade of pink and the taste was so much better, not near as salty as just after the smoke.

[HCT]

Looks like a nice brine. The sea salt really brings out flavor but can be overly salty if you use too much. The kosher is more forgiving. Great choice getting the loin with bone-in.

[Habanero Smoker]

I did a thorough rinse but not a soak after the brine, would a soak be better? 
I probably will do a shorter brine next time, thanks.

Grilled them up last night and they turned a nice shade of pink and the taste was so much better, not near as salty as just after the smoke.

Soaking would draw out some of the salt. If you are brining for flavor and moisture, and not to cure the product, I would go for around 8 hours. It does look like a good recipe.