pork Loin

[Infalable]

I have a pork loin that I am going to cut up for chops and smoke them. Do I apply a rub on these or do I just let the smoke do its magic? Also, If I cut about half inch how long would they take? Any pointers here would be greatly appreciated.

[Gizmo]

A lot of factors there,
Rub or magic?  Depends on taste and what you want your final product to taste like.  If you put a rub on them, they will not be like pork chops but more like a pulled pork.

1/2 in.  Cooking time would depend on the temp.  I have not done chops in the BS so maybe others can help you on that.  Let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out.  I usually do chops by seasoning, seering in a pan on high heat, then transfering to the convection oven at 375 until an IT of 180.

[Infalable]

I usually grill my chops so this is definitly a first here. Not looking for pulled pork taste here so maybe I will stay away from the rubs. Just looking for good or unique flavor.

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Infalable,

Kinda curious about this. Just saw recent posts where someone smoked the entire loin, then cut it up. You want to cut and rub 1/2 slices than smoke? If you are running the BS around 200-210, I would think it would not take long to get a 1/2 thick piece of meat up to 165+ or so. Let me know this turns out....

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Habanero Smoker]

I've only cold smoke chops with about 40 minutes of smoke, then finished them on the grill, oven, or stove top. They are so thin and lean, I would be concerned that they would come out too dry if you fully cooked them in the smoker. I guess you could try brining them first; if you haven't purchased enhanced pork (pork that already has been injected with a solution). As to seasoning, I use Cajun or jerk rub, or just plain salt and pepper.

Here a nice pork chop rub I got off of About.com:

INGREDIENTS:
4 to 6 boneless pork chops
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile powder or other red pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh black pepper, about 1/8 teaspoon

Mix all ingredients, apply rub to completely cover the chops, and let stand 10-15 minuting before cooking (or in your situation, smoke roasting).

[whitetailfan]

I usually grill my chops so this is definitly a first here. Not looking for pulled pork taste here so maybe I will stay away from the rubs. Just looking for good or unique flavor.

My easy recommendation here is to brine your whole loin, smoke, slice, and grill.
I refer to this as smoked pork chops, and there is a lengthy post on it in the curing section.  Do a search for "smoked pork chops" with my name and it should show up.

As a side note, if you are not interested in a 3 day total project, Morton Tenderquik has a side recipe to apply X amount to each chop for less than a few hours to cure a thin cut of meat.  You could then smoke and grill to finish.

Good luck.

[Infalable]

Maybe I will cold smoke then grill. I figure 1-1.5 hours cold then grill. With cold smoking I assume I just run smoke, but no heat. Is it that simple or is there more too it?

[LilSmoker]

Hi Infalable, as regards for cold smoking, the cardboard box chamber method seems the best imo.
There are variations, TomG had a very neat set up that used a plastic drum, some have made plywood boxes but the priciple is all the same.

I set my cold smoking up the same as this, except i use alluminium ducting instead of plastic:

http://www.foodsmoker.co.uk/equipment/bradleycold.htm

As you say, just use the generator to create the smoke, turn off the cabinet heat completely, if the weather is very warm, you can put some ice in the bottom of the cabinet to keep everything cool.

Hope this helps............LilSmoker

[Habanero Smoker]

Maybe I will cold smoke then grill. I figure 1-1.5 hours cold then grill. With cold smoking I assume I just run smoke, but no heat. Is it that simple or is there more too it?

For the first time, you may want to go lighter on the smoke, or pull some out after 40 minutes to an hour, and leave some in for 1.5 hours. This way you can determine just how much smoke you like. Chops have a lot of meat exposure, and are a thin cut of meat (greater surface to mass ratio). That tends to increase the smoke flavor. I only cook my chops to 145°F.

[Infalable]

Yum. These were great. Maybe smoked just a bit too long, but very tasty. I did one each with Dizzy Dust, Swamp Venom, Firewalk, KC Masterpiece BBQ rub, Rendezouz BBQ sauce and a few [lain. Swamp Venum, Firewalk, and the KC were to Die for. The thicker cits were juicy and tastier. Not surprised about that. Thanks all for your .02$.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w196/infalable/IMG_2810.jpg[/img]]

[Gizmo]

Very nice.  Did you give them a turn on the grill or all BS?

[Infalable]

I did about 5-8 mins on grill. Phone rang and grill on hi. Oops I forgot, ran back out. Seared a few edges but no probs. Next time I will prob smoke about an hour and then grill the remainder.

[Gizmo]

Its all flavor and something that happens all the time.

[Habanero Smoker]

Good job. What flavor wood did you use and how long did you smoke them for?

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Infalable,

Very nice......

Sparkler