Smoked pork chops with apple sauce and apple & beet slaw
Reverse seared pork chops served with crisp apple and beet slaw and a homemade apple sauce (aka the Awesome Sauce).
Servings 6
Calories 484kcal
Ingredients
- 6 pork chops 1½ inches thick
- 2 tbsp Kosher salt for dry brining
- 3 tbsp butter
Apple and Beet Slaw
- 1 large beet coarsely peeled and grated
- ½ head red cabbage sliced
- 2 green apples peeled and cored, cut into matchsticks then cut in half again
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ½ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp black peppercorns freshly ground
- 1 lemon zest and juice for serving
Apple Sauce
- 3 Granny Smith apples or any tart apple, peeled and sliced in ⅓ slices
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 lemon zest off and juice
Instructions
For the Pork Chops
- Trim any excess fat off the pork chops and then dry brine them by lightly salting with salt for at least 1 hour (8 hours - 2 days is best).
- Set up a two zone cooking area in your BBQ by lighting ½ a chimney starter of charcoal briquettes and when they are fully lit, dump them on one side of the charcoal grate. Place the lid back on, making sure the vent is directly over the cool zone where there is no charcoal and all vents are wide open.
- Aim for a temp of 160°F to 180°F in the cool zone.
- After 5 minutes, the grill should be warm enough to clean with a grill brush and give a light oiling to stop the pork chops sticking.
- Place the pork chops on the cooler cooking zone, put the lid on and make sure the lid vent is directly above the meat, this will draw the heat over the pork chops.
- Once the pork chops reach an internal temp of 110°F, light up another ½ charcoal chimney of briquettes, ready for the searing part of the cook on the hot zone.
- When the pork chops have reached 120°F, remove them and loosely cover with some aluminum foil and butter.
- Dump in the other ½ chimney of briquettes and wait until the grill temp reaches above 600°F, this should take another 5 minutes after the new charcoal was put in. Or you can use a laser thermometer to check.
- Set up a timer, grill the chops for 1½ minutes then turn them nearly 45 degrees to create a diamond sear pattern.
- We are aiming for a finished internal temp of 145°F, if after the searing is done and the chops are under 145°F, just put them back in the cooler cooking zone until they come up to temp.
For the Apple and Beets Slaw
- Place the beets, cabbage and apple into a bowl.
- Combine the remaining ingredients, stir well and then add to the bowl with the beets. Toss to combine.
- I suggest making it an hour in advance as it also allows the sugars to dissolve and the flavors to mix a little longer.
- Adding some lemon zest and lemon juice is a great way to freshen it up.
For the Apple Sauce (or the Awesome sauce)
- Spread the sliced apples onto a baking tray.
- Drizzle with lemon juice.
- Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and lemon zest.
- Cover with foil and bake for an hour.
- Once pieces are soft, put into a food processor and blend until a smooth sauce consistency is achieved.
To Serve
- Start by placing the slaw side dish on the plate first; I’d put down a large helping. Then adding some lemon zest and squeeze of juice.
- Lean the perfectly grill marked smoked pork chop over the slaw. These are large smokled pork chops, so one smoked pork chop should be more than enough for the average adult.
- Add a large dollop of the sauce to the side of the smoked pork chops, make sure it’s a large amount, as you will be asked to serve more.
Video
Nutrition
Sodium: 2893mg | Calcium: 79mg | Vitamin C: 56mg | Vitamin A: 1469IU | Sugar: 28g | Fiber: 6g | Potassium: 933mg | Cholesterol: 105mg | Calories: 484kcal | Trans Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Fat: 25g | Protein: 31g | Carbohydrates: 37g | Iron: 2mg