Smokin'!

Whenever I go to the butcher or market one of the things I immediately seek out are smoked pork chops.
Once you've tried them you will be a fan forever.
The thing is however they are not an easy thing to find in our city and if you are lucky enough to find some you end up paying around 5 dollars per small pork chop.

I stumbled across gold the other day when I found a smoker box for the barbecue and hickory chips for less than half price at a local hardware store.

Smoking meats is not as intimidating as it looks. You don't even need a fancy smoker box.
Strong tin foil will do. The best foods for smoking are pork, chicken and fish.
They are lighter and less dense than beef. You can lay sprigs of herbs in the smoker box to vary the flavor. You can even get different types of wood chips such as hickory and apple wood that change the flavor of the meat as well. Once you get the hang of it you can try larger cuts of meat such as pork loin roasts and whole chickens.

So with a little preliminary planning your on your way to a smokin' good meal!



Basic Smoked Pork Chops

• 1 pkg of loin pork chops
• 2 cups of hickory wood chips
• few springs of rosemary

Soak 2 cups of chips in water for an hour or two. Place the wet chips in the smoker box or tin foil poked with holes. Place on the barbecue and heat till the chips begin to smoke (around 2 or 3 minutes). Place the pork chops on the opposite side of the side of the grill that the smoker box is.Turn off the burner under the meat. Cook medium low until chops are rosy pink and done in the center. Keep the lid closed while cooking so the smoke stays inside.

Wine Suggestion: Blush