hofbrauhaus chops

sometime this past summer, we visited the new hofbrauhaus in pittsburgh. There we had their "smoked pork chop" which we really liked. It was pink and kind of hammy which made me think that it was brined with curing salts. I've been meaning to try to recreate it for some time, and I finally got around to it on tuesday.

I had 4, bone-in, pork chops that were approximately 3/4" thick. In the AM I dropped them into a brine that I had left over from a recent batch of bacon that was salt, sugar, and cure #1. The chops were removed from the brine after 8 hours, and tossed on the father-in-law's weber gas grill. The chops sat in the back corner, while I ran the front burner with a foil packet of apple wood chunks. At the 30 min mark I rotated and flipped the chops, and removed them after another 30. Since there was a lag between pulling them and eating, I tossed them in a buttered pan to give them some color and rewarm them.

we served them with sauerkraut, buttered noodles, and roasted beets.

observations:

1) chops came out just about right in terms of salt, smoke, and doneness. They may have been a tad sweet, and I can't wait to spice up the brine possibly with: bay, juniper, pepper, allspice, clove...

2) the gasser worked great as a smoker. The apple wood burned very cleanly and the chops picked up a nice amount of flavor.

The chops were probably Kassler Rippchen:

http://snipurl.com/uc0xa [www_google_com]

Very tasty!
Rita

The smoked pork chops you had at Hofbrauhaus sound like what we can buy up here at selected butcher shops in Ontario. You never see them in grocery stores ever but many butchers carry them. To me they look like the roasts that center cut pork chop and rib chops would be cut from for fresh pork chops, only they are brined, and smoked whole until cooked through and then cut on meat saws into chops. When I buy them, they're fully cooked, I just put grill marks on them and heat them up. I really enjoy them. They taste really great with Pierogis sauted in butter and onions and French Rhone wine.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The chops were probably Kassler Rippchen: </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the lead Rita.

They seemed so easy to make, I didn't bother trying to figure out what they were. I guess I should have known they would have been something of a traditional German dish. I guess now I can search out some traditional brine additions.

The process of brining and smoking the whole bone-in loin is one that I've played with in the past and really like for its control, however with out a meat saw the chops have to be a rib thick which is a bit more than one person can eat. Doing the single chops worked out well because the brine period was morning to afternoon, and they had more surface area for smoke to adhere to.

Yes in my neck of the woods in Ontario every butcher seems to carry them... and they are all very similar in taste.

What I love about them is the ease of cooking. At least once a week I really don't feel like cooking, so it's great to have something i can "heat and eat". Since my wife isn't a huge ham fan, I love that it gives me a "ham" substitute so I don't have to try to eat a 5 lb ham between my wife and I.

Look at any butcher that sells smoked bacon or turkey legs. Usually their suppliers do chops as well.

I guess I didn't see it originally but the chop is on the menu solo as Kassler Rippchen.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Look at any butcher that sells smoked bacon or turkey legs. Usually their suppliers do chops as well. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

what? buy them? they seem easy to make...my first try were better that the hofbrau's

I do know what your saying though, about the quick meal part.