Need help - pork chops dry and tough

Unknown

OK - what's the trick? I need tips on cooking pork chops so they're not dry and tough like the ones I cooked last night. Do I need to sear and dwell? What temp sear? How do I dwell if egg temp is at sear temp?

Nature Boy

njjerry,
Careful not to take the internal temp too high. 140-150 is a good range to aim for, as any higher starts to dry them. You might consider a brine also....especially if they ar lean chops. Many recipes available for brines...just yell if you want to try it. 4 or 5 hours in a brine works wonders at keeping the meat moist (as well as adding flavor throughout the chop).[p]Sear/roast, smoke/sear, the order doesn't much matter as much as the final internal temp. I usually sear first, and roast to finish like I would a steak. Others have great luck smoking low first until they are nearly done, then searing hot to finish.[p]Better luck next time!
Chris

fishlessman

njjerry, were they thick or thin. i cook thin cops in a pan and thick cops on the egg. i use the trex method searing @ 800 plus and then finish cook direct at 350. take them off at 135 internal and let rest 5 minutes covered in tin foil. not wrapped just covered to rest.

Sundown

njjerry,
My wife and I usually buy one of the big boneless pork loins and cut 1 3/4" - 2" pork chops out of it. Usually get about a dozen or more and a couple of small roasts too. JJ's Rub and oil then sear at 700º or there-abouts for 2 minutes each side. Dwell 4 or five minutes. Never have they ever been anything but juicy and melt in your mouth! Did a skinny little bone in once and it was okay but these are way better. Try it.

BluesnBBQ

"i cook thin cops in a pan and thick cops on the egg."[p]I know some people like to call the police "pigs," but that's taking it too far. :-)

Nature Boy

BluesnBBQ,
Heeeeeee!

Gfw

<p />njjerry, check out the link - this method has always produced good results - for really thin chops cut the time down a little.

[ul][li]Pork Chops[/ul]

mollyshark

Sundown,[p]Have to agree. The skinny little bone ones are for breading, pan-frying, and picking up in your fingers cave-person style, biting off big hunks. At least that is how I do it, primitive beast that I am.[p]mShark

BluesnBBQ

I like to marinade the skinny ones in lime juice, salt and pepper, give them a quick sear, slice them and serve them in flour tortillas (with grilled onions). Simple pork tacos.

Unknown

Nature Boy,
Thanks for advice. I'm so scared of brining - have had really bad experiences following recipes but winding up with **way** too salty results - even using instructions out of Cooks Illustrated. I even switchd from Kosher salt instructions to table salt instructions, thinking maybe problem due to different "saltiness" of different brands of kosher salt, but I had same problem. Can you recommend a particular brine, and if it uses kosher salt, tell me which brand? Also, when you sear/dwell, do *you* take chops off in between to wait for egg temp to drop, or just shut egg up with chops still inside after sear time? I have polder thermometer i can use to monitor meat temp while they dwell and will use your temp advice.
Thanks,
Jerry