Smoky Reverse Seared Pork Rib Chops Dry Brined For Maximum Flavor
High heat, quick sear to finish the pork adds a nice touch of umami.
These pork chops are nice and thick, about 2 inches in thickness. I bring them up to a certain internal temperature on my smoker that I hold temperature around 200-225 f. If you don’t have a smoker, you can set your oven to 225 f and cook the chops that way.
Ingredients:
2 thick cut pork rib chops
About 1 tsp Kosher salt per chop (I calculate 1% salt by weight in grams)
Heavy pinch tsp paprika
Heavy pinch chili powder
Heavy pinch onion powder
Heavy pinch garlic powder
Tools needed:
Digital scale that reads grams
Paper towel
Small dish or ramekin
Smoker or oven
Lump charcoal
Wood, I like oak and applewood with pork
How to make it:
First thing, weigh out each pork chop and note that weight. For a dry brine, I like to go 1% - 1.5% salt. I found that range is good for my taste and a good rule of thumb for many types of meat for the dry brine method.
In my example, I had a chop that weighed 423 g and one that weighed 391 g. I went with a 1% salt for each. Keep each salt that got weighed out with the pork it goes with. The amount of salt is close for each of the pork chops in this example, but it is good practice to not mix things up.
Once you measure out the salt, add the spices to the salt and mix to incorporate. If you don’t have a smoker, I found adding cumin and cayenne pepper to the salt blend adds a nice hint of smoke. Sprinkle all sides of the chops with the seasoned salt and allow to sit on the countertop for 1 hour. This will season the pork all the way through and bring the meat up to room temperature. I found cooking meat that is at or close to room temperature has great results.
Once the meat has had time to sit with the seasoning on it and you warm up your smoker (or oven), now is the time to start cooking the meat. With my smoker, I go with XL lump charcoal for the heat source and oak for the smoky flavor. With the smoke, I tend to go heavy with it. I found that when you pan sear the pork to finish it off, the smoke isn’t as pronounced. Of course, the amount of smoke is personal preference.
Smoke (or cook in the oven) until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. I have a thermometer that is oven/smoker safe that beeps when a target temperature is reached. Once the temperature has been achieved, remove the pork from the smoker or oven and warm up your pan over medium high heat until it is smoking. For this method, you want to get a high heat, quick sear. The outside of the pork chops are normally dried out from being cooked at low heat. Pan searing the pork afterwards gives the outside of the pork chop a nice crust with deep flavor from the maillard reaction. If there is any moisture on the pork, pat dry with a paper towel. I love the way the pork tastes when it gets seared in a cast iron skillet.
I cook my pork chops with lard that I save from cooking bacon. If you don’t have lard, use avocado oil or olive oil that has a good high smoke point. The smoke point of lard is around 375 F.
Add the pork to the pan, searing the fat cap first if the chop has a good one. Sear each side of the meat for about 45 seconds. I like to baste the meat with the hot lard while it cooks. Searing the chops this quick will help keep the Internet temperature from getting too high. If done right, it should hit a temperature of no more than 145 F, which is a good medium. Of course, if you want the pork cooked more, go longer with the sear. If you want it to be closer to well done, pull the chop out of the smoker closer to 150-155 F. I like to baste the meat as it is cooking with the hot fat/oil in the pan.
Once both sides of the pork chops have been seared, set the chops on a plate and let rest on the countertop for 4-5 minutes.
These pork chops are great with mashed potatoes and baked asparagus. I also like them with these crispy crushed potatoes, see how to make them here.
Enjoy!
Logan
