May 2011 - OutreachNC Magazine

16 OutreachNC • May 2011
Cooking Simple
Rhett Morris
Smoke more flavor
into pork
May celebrates many great things like mothers
and flowers; but it is also known as National
Barbecue Month. The art of barbecue dates back to
the cattle drives of the cowboys in the 1800s. The
original concept of slow cooking meat was to make
tougher cuts, like brisket or pork butt, into a great
meal. We often think of ribs that are so tender they
fall off the bone, but there are lots of things you can
barbecue. Typically there is a cooking chamber with a
source of fire and/or a water chamber used to smoke
the meat as it slowly cooks.
Today, many people use a gas grill and may not
have a traditional smoker or charcoal grill. While this
would be the preferred method, I will give you some
tips I use at home and in the restaurant to create your
own smoker and that slow-cooked barbecue flavor.
One way I have found to get smoke flavor into
fish, pork and seafood is a simple smoker you can
make. Take a disposable aluminum pan (like you
would use at Thanksgiving) and take a piece of foil
about one third of the size of the pan and create a
tray to put wood chips or saw dust in. Place it in the
pan and then put whatever item you wish to smoke
in the other two thirds of the pan. Take a couple of
ounces of your favorite liquor and pour over chips
and carefully, light the chips on fire.
After the chips have smoldered for about five minutes,
cover the whole pan with foil tightly around all edges.
You do not need water for this technique, as you are
simply using the smoke to infuse flavor. Smoking time
will vary with the item you wish to smoke, with a
range of 15 minutes for seafood up to a hour for thick
cut meats. This is a cooking method that is easy to do
and you can control the portion size. For more flavor,
put any type of marinade or rub on the meat.
At the restaurant, when I smoke pork chops, I brine
them first in a mixture of sugar, salt, vinegar, water and
herbs for 24 hours and then smoke them. The flavor
is amazing! Add some grilled peaches and asparagus
and you have a delicious and healthy meal.
Brined Smoked Pork Chop
2 -8 oz bone in pork chops
½ cup salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups ice
1 hand full hickory chips
(or preferred type)
Combine salt, sugar, peppercorns and vinegar into a
sauce pan. Bring to a simmer until all salt and sugar
are dissolved. Remove from burner, add your ice and
put in a freezer bag or resealable container. Submerge
your pork chops and let sit for at least 24 hours
(covered and refrigerated).
Take pork chops and place them in the smoker, light
the chips and allow to smolder uncovered for about
three minutes. Cover smoker with foil and allow to
smoke for 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and grill each
chop for three to four minutes on each side or pan sauté.
If you want to cook ahead, you can freeze the pork
chops after smoking and grill when you are ready to
use them. Once brined and smoked, the chops will
last up to four or five days without freezing and up to
three months in the freezer.
Morris, owner of Rhett’s Restaurant, Personal Chef &
Catering in Southern Pines, can be reached at (910) 695-3663
or rhett@rhettsinc.com.
www.OutreachNC.com