For the Brine:
- 4 cups Water
- 1 cup Morton Tender Quick*
(Makes enough for a 6 pound pork loin.)
Amount of Tender Quick is the recommended amount by the manufacturer.
Directions
First, mix Tender Quick in water until dissolved. I encourage you to add your own spices to the brine. Next, cut the loin into two pieces, and place in brine (do not cut into chops at this stage). The brining time is approximately 36 hours for this recipe. But it may be extend up to 48 hours.
Cutting the loin into two pieces is done for two reasons: makes it easier to fit in a container you are brining in and furthermore the smaller cuts of meat will fit better on the smoking racks.
Try to keep all the meat submerged in the brine. If that cannot be done, keep exposed meat to a minimum.
Then, remove meat from brine and rinse. Soak meat in fresh water for two hours. If you prefer more salt taste, use the higher end of the brining times, or soak for less time (but not less than one hour). ** see below.
You can remove meat from the water now and pat dry with paper towels.
Now, it’s time to smoke:
Preheat your Bradley Smoker to 200 degrees F. Smoke for four hours, or until the internal meat temperature of 150 degrees F is reached, using three hours of hickory smoke.
Remove meat from smoker, refrigerate and let cool. After cooling, cut loins into about 3/4 inch chops.
You can now grill each individual pork chop, or you can freeze them and grill at a latter date. You will note that I recommend hot smoking until the internal temp hits 150 degrees F. On the other hand, you can smoke it less than fully cooked, if you are going to cook it on the grill. But it is my preference to cook right through, so that when you re-warm on the grill, you do not have to worry about “cooking” it.
Notes: Biggest advice is to soak your loin before smoking. I cannot overstate the importance of this step, and it will make the difference between a tolerable salty meal and an excellent meal.
Recipe Credit: “Whitetailfan” from the Bradley Smoker Forum.
