Ham Chops are pork chops that are quick brined in a solution overnight with Prague Powder #1. It's like a thick slab of ham and seriously good too, with the taste of bacon, ham, and pork chops all in one! Serve with some Baked Beans or Hash Browns for the perfect pairing. For you Ham & Bacon lovers out there, you're welcome. Enjoy that Belly Smile!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 x 1/2 inch Pork Chops
- 1/4 C Lard - or Rendered fat, Neutral Oil or Meat Oil
Ham Chop Cure
- 8 C Distilled Water
- 5 Tbl Kosher Salt
- 3 Tbl Sugar
- 2 Tbl Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 1 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 tsp Prague Powder #1
Instructions
- Preparation: Combine the brine solution together and mix well until everything is dissolved. Trim the fat from the pork chops and refrigerate to render out the fat, and sear the pork chops the following day. Add pork chops to the brine and make sure they are completely submerged. Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Soak: 24 hours later, drain out all the brine, and wash & rinse the pork well. This will get rid of any excess salt on the surface. Fill up a bowl with cold water and allow the pork chops to soak there for 15 minutes or more.Remove the pork chops and pat dry. Either pan-sear or reverse-sear the pork chops.
- Seared Ham Chops: Place the ham chops in a broiler pan into a preheated oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes for thin pork chops or 20-30 minutes for thicker pork chops or until 10-15 degrees away from 145°F. At the same time or shortly after, start rendering out the previously trimmed pork fat over medium-low to medium heat until browned and crispy. Discard the crackling and add more fat if needed to get about 1/4 cup of fat. Sear the ham chops for 3-5 minutes per side, or the internal temperature of at least 145°F. Set aside to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
How much curing salt
75 (ppm) * (Total weight of both meat & water in grams) / .0625 (nitrite amount) / 1,000,000 (million) = Curing salt needed in grams.- 1 lb. of pork chops with 8 cups of water use 1/2 tsp or 2.8 g
- 2 lbs. use 3.4 g - 3.5 g of cure #1
- 3 lbs. use 3.9 g of cure #1
- 1 C Sunflower Oil, or other neutral oil
- 1 Tbl Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbl Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke, more if desired
- 1/2 tsp MSG - optional