First cook on new OTP.......and Chops no less.

[David]

It has taken me over a week to fire up the new OTP for the first cook. Meant to do it sooner, but other things got in the way. I had bought some inch plus chops the other day decided today was the day. Went through numerous recipes to find something new and settle on a sauce with a beer/maple/peanut butter mix. I cooked the chops on indirect for about an hour up to about 130 degrees then seared them for several minutes on each side pulling them around 145. My first concerns over a weber kettle were met as I was disappointed in the sear on the chops......grill is just too far from the coals. I'll have to work on that going forward.

I brined the chops for about 3 hours. Oiled the chops and simply sprinkled pepper and onion powder on before grilling.

Put them on the grill with a couple of pieces of cherry and apple wood, along with two small ears of corn. The grill ran at about 300, but wanted it a tad lower, but they came out fine at that temp. Need more cooks to determine how best to run the kettle.

While that was cooking I started the sauce. This is a beer base with maple syrup, peanut butter, garlic, cinnamon, chipotle, and herbs cooked down into a thick sauce. Used for basting on the sear and on dish afterward.

Here, I've moved the chops over for the final sear, I did this for about 3 minutes per side, but checking the internal temp after one side to make sure I was not overcooking.

Here's they are pulled from the grill. Disappointed in the sear, but they are fully cooked so time to pull.

Of course, the cooking is in the eating. The chops were very tender and cooked just right. The sauce was good, but not great. I give it a six to seven on the scale, which means, it will not be repeated.

 

[NeilH]

Nice looking first cook. I have a OTP waiting for me to put together when I get some free time. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mike Coffman]

Great looking cook David!

 

[Michael C.]

Another round of great Chops!!!! Looks very tasty!!!!!!

 

[Jim Lampe]

...I was disappointed in the sear on the chops......grill is just too far from the coals.... Disappointed in the sear...

Were the chops at room temp when you added them to the grate?
Were the grates over fire before adding the chops?
Looks to me like your fire was plenty hot to sear those chops for three minutes each side...

 

[David]

Were the chops at room temp when you added them to the grate?
Were the grates over fire before adding the chops?
Looks to me like your fire was plenty hot to sear those chops for three minutes each side...

It was a reverse sear so the chops were put on the side opposite the coals when placed in the grill, and no, chops were not room temp. as I'm in the meathead school on that subject. Never had problems with a sear before over charcoal in the last 30 years. When moved over, yea, the grates had been over the coals for an hour or so.

 

[Jim Lampe]

ok, sorry, i missed this line "I cooked the chops on indirect for about an hour up to about 130 degrees then seared them for several minutes..."
possibly your coals were dying out and were not hot enough to sear...
in my attempts at reverse searing, that is basically all i got... attempts. so i don't.
and I am sorry for misunderstanding your point David.

 

[Tony R]

It looks good to me David

 

[Robert McGee]

David;
I have a 22.5" OTG (esentially the same as your grill less the work table). I place two thin firebricks on their sides in the coal area about 1/3 from the side. One lit chimney (dump at 20 minutes and then wait five more minutes to heat the grill). By only having the coals in one third of the "firebox" it raises the coals up just under the food grate. I cook indirect with this set up and then reverse sear. I guarantee you'll have enough heat to properly sear the steaks.

FWIW
Dale53

 

[Danny B (Albany GA)]

I have found that I have to wait a few minutes for the coals to fire back up after the indirect step to get a good sear. I didn't do it last night on 2 steaks and my crust suffered. It was cold out(cold for south Georgia anyway) and my wife was ready to eat!

 

[Mike Cosgrove]

Im in the process of welding someting up right now thats intended just for searing, I'll post pics, and the chops look perfect even without a good sear.

 

[Wolgast]

Looks grand mate! You can sear any meat over a medium fire. The thing is it needs some extra time. So just think ahead,start the sear when you meat temp can handle it.(dont wanna over cook) Or let em rest 15 min after the indirect part,turn the heat up in the grill. When the internal temp of the chops starts to drop a few f they can handle a longer sear with the same end resault. Getting some CI grates is always good aswell. Not every cook/protein needs a hard sear though,Sometimes the indirect is all you need.(my opinion)

 

[David]

Im in the process of welding someting up right now thats intended just for searing, I'll post pics, and the chops look perfect even without a good sear.

Funny, I thought about this and also came with an idea based on my previous grill. I just need to think through the idea a bit more and then hit the hardware store. I know what I want to accomplish, but with most projects of mine, if I wait longer, I will rethink it for the better.

Yea, the chops were cooked to the right temp, but as is my problem, it is difficult to get taste into chops. I've tried loin, chops, center cut yadda, yadda, yadda. Drowning them in rub/sauce is then eating rib or sauce. Heck, I had some horseradish sauce left over in the fridge and was munching on some baby carrots and dipped then and..........no more carrot taste, now it is like horseradish sauce. And that to me is the problem with chops, the meat is bland. Next up, however, pork steaks, see if this these do better.

 

[Wolgast]

That is so true david! The meat in itself doesent taste mutch..Well it tastes like Chicken. I have a hard time with marinating/injecting and so on. But with a Solid Rub they are great! pork steaks well almost the same. Pork is like a canvas painting,Empty @ the start,its what you do with it that counts. Same as chicken. A solid rub is the answer. Preferable a coarse grind.

 

[Rolf Jacobsen]

That is so true david! The meat in itself doesent taste mutch..Well it tastes like Chicken. I have a hard time with marinating/injecting and so on. But with a Solid Rub they are great! pork steaks well almost the same. Pork is like a canvas painting,Empty @ the start,its what you do with it that counts. Same as chicken. A solid rub is the answer. Preferable a coarse grind.

You got that right! Thanks to you and a couple of others on this board, I learned you need to brine for moisture and dry rub for flavor.

 

[David]

You got that right! Thanks to you and a couple of others on this board, I learned you need to brine for moisture and dry rub for flavor.

I brined these, but with only a light rub opting instead for a sauce, which didn't make the final cut for more........................d

 

[Bob Mann]

Nice cook David!

 

[Barry LaZar]

It has taken me over a week to fire up the new OTP for the first cook. Meant to do it sooner, but other things got in the way. I had bought some inch plus chops the other day decided today was the day. Went through numerous recipes to find something new and settle on a sauce with a beer/maple/peanut butter mix. I cooked the chops on indirect for about an hour up to about 130 degrees then seared them for several minutes on each side pulling them around 145. My first concerns over a weber kettle were met as I was disappointed in the sear on the chops......grill is just too far from the coals. I'll have to work on that going forward.

I brined the chops for about 3 hours. Oiled the chops and simply sprinkled pepper and onion powder on before grilling.

Put them on the grill with a couple of pieces of cherry and apple wood, along with two small ears of corn. The grill ran at about 300, but wanted it a tad lower, but they came out fine at that temp. Need more cooks to determine how best to run the kettle.

While that was cooking I started the sauce. This is a beer base with maple syrup, peanut butter, garlic, cinnamon, chipotle, and herbs cooked down into a thick sauce. Used for basting on the sear and on dish afterward.

Here, I've moved the chops over for the final sear, I did this for about 3 minutes per side, but checking the internal temp after one side to make sure I was not overcooking.

Here's they are pulled from the grill. Disappointed in the sear, but they are fully cooked so time to pull.

Of course, the cooking is in the eating. The chops were very tender and cooked just right. The sauce was good, but not great. I give it a six to seven on the scale, which means, it will not be repeated.

Looks good. And, I suspect very tasty. I've had my OTP for a little over a year. It's my favorite cooker. I grill on it and smoke more on it than my 18.5" WSM. Best of luck with your new toy!

 

[Andy Beers]

Looks good to me