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Hickory Smoked Pork Chops

A smoked pork chop recipe using a salt, honey, and vinegar brine with hickory wood chips.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Pork and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,716 recipes. Both carry 2-undecenal, which smells sweet. The science ↓

Hickory Smoked Pork Chops

Oven250°F

Ingredients

Directions

Brine

  1. Combine salt, honey, and vinegar in a gallon-size zip-top bag. Add ice and shake until ice is mostly melted and mixture has cooled.

  2. Insert pork chops and brine in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours.

  3. Drain pork and pat dry with paper towels. Discard remaining brine.

Season and smoke

  1. Combine remaining seasonings and rub on both sides of each pork chop.

  2. Get your smoker ready. Place hickory chunks in the firebox and keep the smoker at around 250°F.

  3. Brush pork chops with olive oil and grill on high just until marked. Flip and repeat one more time.

  4. Move pork chops to smoker and insert a probe thermometer into one of the chops. Cover and cook until internal temperature reaches 140°F for medium rare, 155°F for medium, and 165°F for toast. Carry-over will take it the last 5 degrees. Keep checking the temperature and microwave if needed to get above 145°F.

Rest and serve

  1. Move pork chops to a plate and let rest 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

442Calories
28 gProtein
28 gFat
20 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pork100g cooked242
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pork + olivetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,716 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

  2. Honey + apple cider vinegartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together169 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).

  3. Pepper + olivetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  4. Apple cider vinegar + olivetop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together439 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  5. Honey + olivetop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,792 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pork rib chops
Lean meat that becomes tender and juicy when brined and cooked to a set internal temperature.
Salt
Seasons the brine and helps the meat hold moisture during brining.
Honey
Adds sweetness and helps the surface brown and caramelize during cooking.
Apple cider vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the flavor of the brine and the pork.
Paprika
Adds color and a mild smoky, sweet aroma to the rub.
Ancho chile powder
Adds mild, fruity heat and deep color to the rub.

The step that matters

Cooking to the target internal temperature. Pork chops dry out quickly past their target temperature, and carry-over heat keeps raising the temperature after they leave the smoker, so pulling them at the right point keeps them juicy.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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