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Brined, perfectly seasoned, and smoked to perfection. These Smoked Traeger Pork Chops smoked on my Traeger Pro 780 turned out meaty, juicy, and packed full of flavor! So fire up your smoker and let's make the best pork chops you will ever eat.
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Ingredients
I cooked a variety of different pork chops and used two different seasoning when making this pork chop recipe. All chops were brined before seasoning for 8 hours.
Meat & Seasoning
- Pork chops - Variety of chops. You can use shoulder chop, rib chop, loin chop, boneless chop, or sirloin chop.
- Olive oil
- Seasoning - Meat Church (Honey Hog BBQ) / Traeger (Pork & Poultry)
Brine
- Water
- Kosher salt
- Brown sugar
- Black peppercorns
- Bay leaves
Buying the pork
The #1 thing I love about pork is how inexpensive it is to purchase. You can buy pork at your local grocery store or butcher. Choose your favorite thick-cut pork chops to use for this pork recipe.
I prefer bone-in pork chops over boneless pork chops. I think the bone gives it extra flavor. But choose what you like best!
I bought a variety pack of pork which had boneless, loin, and rib chops. Purchasing from big box stores such as Sam's Club or Costco are a great way to save some $ and also get a boat load of pork chops.
Another great inexpensive pork recipe is my smoked pork butt recipe. It's great for feeding a lot of people for a small amount of $.
How to cook a traeger pork chop
We are going to start by brining these pork chops so they turn out nice and tender when finished cooking. Season them perfectly with some great sweet flavored spice mixes and cook to perfection on the Traeger 780 smoker.
Brine
Brine is a salt water mixture that you soak the pork in for 8-12 hours before cooking to help tenderize the meat as well as make it nice and juicy when cooked. This makes a BIG difference in the texture and flavor of these pork chops. DON'T SKIP THIS PROCESS!
Add all the brine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the stove and allow to cool to room temperature before adding the pork.
Place in the refrigerator overnight or the morning before you plan on smoking your pork chops.
Seasoning
I'm using two different seasonings for this pork chop recipe. Meat Church's Honey Hog BBQ and Traegers Pork & Poultry (Apple & Honey). Have a different spice mix you like? Use it!
First, before seasoning the pork chops, take them out of the brine and rinse under cool water to remove any excess salt. Place on a drying rack and pat dry with paper towels to dry.
Secondly, wipe some olive oil over the pork chops. Make sure to get both sides of the pork.
Third, generacialy season the pork chops on both sides with your favorite seasoning. Don't be shy, get them coated well. Then allow to rest at room temperature for about an hour before throwing on the smoker.
Smoking the pork chops
Now comes the fun part! Pre-heat your smoker to 225°F to get that heat and smoke rolling. Use your favorite wood. I like to use hickory pellets when smoking pork chops.
Place the pork chops directly on the Traeger's grill grates and smoke until an internal temperature of 135°F. This should take about 1:15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temp.
Once the pork chops hit that magical 135° IT when tested with an instant-read thermometer, remove from the smoker and place aside. Tent loosely with aluminum foil and turn the heat up on the smoker to 450°F.
I like to put my searing grates on the smoker at this time. These are great for getting nice sear marks on your Traeger Smoked Pork Chops. These will work with any smoker by simply laying directly on top of the grill racks.
Once the grill hits 450°F, throw the pork chops back on the smokers rack or searing grates and cook an additional 3-4 minutes a side until the internal temperature reaches 145°F when checked with a meat probe.
The lowest finished internal temperature when cooking pork should be 145°F. This ensures a safe pork chop preventing any potential foodborne illness.
Resting the meat & serving
When they are finished cooking and reach 145° internal temp, remove from the smoker and allow them to rest on the kitchen counter for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the juicy to redistribute throughout the meat.
Now it's time to eat your new favorite pork chops! Serve an entire pork chop to each guest. This looks a lot better than slicing it up and serving pieces. Everyone likes having their own pork chop!
Flavor
These Traeger Pork Chops turned out extremely tender and juicy. The sweetness from the seasonings were perfectly balanced by the savory flavor of the pork.
Finished to a nice slightly pink center and the fat rendered down made these pork chops utterly delicious with a nice smoky flavor. The brine helped make these super tender, just like you find on a smoked pork tenderloin.
Everyone will LOVE these!
Smokers
I'm smoking these pork chops on my Traeger 780 pellet smoker. A Traeger wood pellet grill is an easy and great way to impart fantastic smoke flavor on the pork, and other meats for that matter, without having to babysit a firebox all day.
Don't have a Traeger grill? That's fine, you can use what you have. But I would definitely recommend getting one. They are easy to use and I love the flavor they impart on the meat.
Video - Smoking pork chops (1 minute)
FAQ
Pork is safe to eat once it is heated to an internal temperature of 145°F. There might still be pink in the middle. THIS IS OKAY!
Pork is a very lean meat and packed full of protein. It is a great addition to a balanced diet.
Old Pro Tips
- Always brine your pork chops before cooking. This makes them super juicy and tender.
- Do NOT cook the meat more than 145°F. This will make them tough and dry. Use an instant read meat thermometer to test the temperature of the pork chops.
- Get a searing grate. These are great for getting a nice sear on your meat when cooking with a pellet smoker.
Ingredients
- 8 pork chops
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup seasoning (Traeger - Pork & Poultry)
Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1.5 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup black peppercorn
- 4 bay leaves
Equipment
Instructions
Brine
- Add ½ a gallon of water and the rest of the brine ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Once water has began to boil, continue boiling for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. Pour the other ½ gallon of water into pot and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Add the pork chops to the brine and place the pot in the refrigerator and brine for 8-12 hours.
Smoking the pork
- Remove pork chops from brine and rinse under cold water to remove excess salt.
- Place on a drying rack and pat dry with paper towels.
- Run olive oil over both sides of pork chops and season liberally with your favorite pork seasoning.
- Pre-heat smoker to 225°F with oak wood and place pork chops directly on grill grates. Smoke until an internal temperature of 135°F, about an hour and fifteen minutes.
- Remove pork from smoker and tent with aluminum foil. Raise smoker temperature to 450°. (Place searing plates on smoker if being used)
- Place pork chops back on smoker, or searing plates, and cook an additional 3-4 minutes per side until an internal temp of 145°F.
- Remove from smoker and rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips
- Always brine your pork chops before cooking. This makes them super juicy and tender.
- Do NOT cook the meat more than 145°F. This will make them tough and dry. Use an instant read meat thermometer to test the temperature of the pork chops.
- Get a searing grate. These are great for getting a nice sear on your meat when cooking with a pellet smoker.
Nutrition
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