Brining pork/chicken

[teejk]

True, but its just for the opposite for pork shoulders in the smoker. Those last few degrees can take hours! Number of sleepless nights I've been waiting for the #$%#$% shoulder to come up to the magic number.

I agree...I don't know why that is with smoking other than conventional methods say to keep the meat at 250F. I read somewhere that meat will stop taking smoke at 140F internal temp so when I get there I cheat and bring it into the oven at a higher temp to finish it off (I can control the oven temp much better than the smoker). I do the same with fish.

 

[Finnster]

I can't help you with brining since I don't do it other than for smoked products. I come from a long line of meatcutters and still remember my dad pulling a steak from a friend of mine when he put the ketchup bottle to it (dad gave him a few hot dogs). The friend has learned to enjoy meat as the "primary" flavor on the plate with seasoning being secondary. I don't know how much brining would help anyway unless you injected it. It might add some flavor to the outside but most meats are so dense that they will not absorb it unless left for days when the tissue starts to break down.

Worstchester (Lea and Perrins only), Lawry's seasoned salt and a large pinch of Italian seasoning (crushed in a little crucible) are my standards (my wife hates pepper and I have to watch my salt).

I think it varies on the thickness & type of meat. Poultry definitely benefits, beef, wouldn't waste my time.
Pork can go either way.
No tricks will fix a crummy slice of meat or a bad cook.

I'm a huge fan of pepper and heat. I do my ribs&shoulder with loads of all sorts of Mexican peppers.

 

[Finnster]

I agree...I don't know why that is with smoking other than conventional methods say to keep the meat at 250F. I read somewhere that meat will stop taking smoke at 140F internal temp so when I get there I cheat and bring it into the oven at a higher temp to finish it off (I can control the oven temp much better than the smoker). I do the same with fish.

I've cheated more than a few times, but I always feel bad doing so! lol

Yeah, if its smoked for 8 hrs already, no more smoke is going to do a whole lot. I have a weber smokey mtn smoker, and I have to say it is really easy to control temps on that unit. Get the coals loaded up and it will hold the temp for many hours stably. From what I've read, it comes down to airleaks. Some units leak a lot of air and can be really tricky to use. Weber has it down and can make a newb look like a cooking genius.

However, late at night, and I see the temps dropping as the fuel is almost done, into the foil and into the oven it will go. I will try to not be hasty and pull it off the smoker sooner than I have to, but I think that is just me.

 

[Car Doc]

I almost always brine both meats and have great results keeping meat moist. I rinse the brine off and pat dry and use very little salt from there on other than a rub. My normal brine fwtw is 1/2c course sea salt and 1c white sugar to 3 qts/1 gal h20 and with both meats herbs like tyme and sage, oregano and rosemary and black pepper corns even cloves really can add good flavor. Ive also been known to add liquid smoke to my brine's since the brine takes flavors into meats. good luck

 

[J F]

I almost always brine both meats and have great results keeping meat moist. I rinse the brine off and pat dry and use very little salt from there on other than a rub. My normal brine fwtw is 1/2c course sea salt and 1c white sugar to 3 qts/1 gal h20 and with both meats herbs like tyme and sage, oregano and rosemary and black pepper corns even cloves really can add good flavor. Ive also been known to add liquid smoke to my brine's since the brine takes flavors into meats. good luck

Excellent schtuff, Car Doc, thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I have my best luck with thick (at least one inch) bone in pork chops, cooked at a medium temperature for just a bit longer time.

Chicken on the Weber Smoky Mountain smoker is about as good as it gets. I always buy the Smart Chicken; they are perceptibly better. Prepare it the night before; add a dry BBQ rubb, a bit of lemon pepper, seal in a plastic baking bag and put in the frige overnight. Take it out an hour or two before cooking to let it come to room temp; put it on the Weber for about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours. Use some mesquite and pecan wood for smoke and you can't go wrong.

 

[J F]

I have my best luck with thick (at least one inch) bone in pork chops, cooked at a medium temperature for just a bit longer time.

That definitely helps. :cool2:

Not really. :laughing:

 

[Stimw]

Best pork chop ever!
Marinade 1 hour to overnight in Italian salad dressing turning to keep all sides covered. (in fridge)
Put on hot grill and grill it until it has mild "Bark". You can even baste with leftover dressing. The smell will have you drooling! (anybody down wind too)
The cheap dressing from the dollar store works great!
Make extra for breakfast.
Breaded pork chops-
flour, egg wash, Italian bread crumbs- tripple dip and fry hot (quick) to golden brown then place in covered baking dish and bake 300* for 1-1 1/2 hours. OMG!

 

[Charlie Packwood]

You made a comment about your thermometer not being accurate. You can check it by putting a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a full boil, the thermometer should read exactly 100C or 212F if it is accurate. You can do the same with ice water on the low end for 0C or 32F. Put lots of ice in a bowl with some water and let it sit and then measure the temp. If these two are on track then the thermometer is most likely accurate enough. This does not address the need to buy a new thermometer, if this is the ultimate goal, then go and get the new toy, but maybe one of those neat digital infrared types. Very impressive and you can still use the old one for anything that can't be measured with the infrared. I agree with the other comments buy the way, don't overcook the pork, pink is good. good eats. This probably too late for dinner tonight. Sorry.

 

[Larro Darro]

Best pork chop ever!
Marinade 1 hour to overnight in Italian salad dressing turning to keep all sides covered. (in fridge)
Put on hot grill and grill it until it has mild "Bark". You can even baste with leftover dressing. The smell will have you drooling! (anybody down wind too)
The cheap dressing from the dollar store works great!
Make extra for breakfast.
Breaded pork chops-
flour, egg wash, Italian bread crumbs- tripple dip and fry hot (quick) to golden brown then place in covered baking dish and bake 300* for 1-1 1/2 hours. OMG!

I tried something close to this the other day. I put the chops in Italian dressing for a couple of hours. I also added a goody amount of Dijon mustard as well. I cut up three potatoes really thin. When I took the chops out of the dressing/mustard mix, I poured what was left over the potatoes, then put them in the oven @ 350. I let them cook for about fifteen minutes while I added Smoky Mesquite, salt and pepper to the chops. I had looked at four different recipes online, and I picked the parts of each I liked. Instead of one or two eggs for a bath, I used four. And because of the potatoes, I didn't add bread crumbs. I took the potatoes out of the oven and laid out the chops on top of them, pouring the eggs over them, letting it run down over the potatoes. I added a good layer of Parmesan. Covered and baked for twenty minutes. Turned the chops, added more Parmesan, cooked for twenty more minutes. It looked kind of messy, but tasted fine.