Grilled Iowa Chops and Baked Potatoes

Grilled Iowa Chops and Baked Potatoes

Grilled Iowa Chops and Baked Potatoes

The notorious “Iowa Chop” is the seriously thick* and succulent pork chop, cut from the lower back of the hog, just behind the rib. Recently dubbed the “Porterhouse Chop”, they have a characteristic T-bone shape, with a substantial amount of loin meat on one side of the bone and a portion of tenderloin on the other side.  The thickness (1.25-1.5 inches) of this chop led it to be coined “The Iowa Chop”, in the 1980’s by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. The Iowa Chop is still in high demand and is used widely still today throughout the Midwest and beyond. The above defination of an Iowa Chop taken from the Web Site http://foodandswine.com/

Iowa Chops are one of my favorite things to grill on the Traeger.  They always come at tender and Juicy.  It really is the most perfect meat.  I often grill them with sweet potatoes and pineapple, but for this cook I changed it up a little and cooked baked Potatoes with them.  I did have pineapple left over from yesterday Ham Steak and Pineapple cook.  I didn't brine or marinate this time.  I used Trader Joe's Coffee and Garlic rub.  You can use your favorite rub or just salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

6 Iowa Pork Chops about 1 inch Thick and 1 LB each (T-Bones)

Your favorite Dry rub for Pork

4 Large Baked Potatoes 

Preperation

Wash Baked Potatoes

Cut in 1/2

Wrap in foil

I used a smal half to clean and season grill

Rub Pork chops with your favorite rub.

I used Trader Joes Garlic and coffee rub

Grill Setup

Start Traeger on smoke for 10 minutes with lid open'

Preheat lid closed to temperature 375

The Cook

I placed the Potatoes on the grill for about 50 Minutes 

After 50 Minutes I placed Pork Chops on grill

After about 7 minutes I flipped the Pork Chops

I Continue to cook the Pork chops  till an Internal Temperature of 140 degrees

The Wrap and Rest

Once desired temperature reached remove from grill tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes

Labor Day a Long Weekend of Smoke - Traeger Recipes

Labor Day a Long Weekend of Smoke - Traeger Recipes

Labor Day SmokeFest

The wife left town for a few days to wish her mom a happy birthday in Iowa, so its just me and the dog,  It Looks like I have a Long Weekend of smoke ahead "Traeger on".  Here is what the proposed menu looks like.

Saturday Dinner

Dinner is Ready

Bacon Wrapped Filet

Lobster Tail

Pineapple

Corn on the Cobb

Traeger Recipe

The beauty of cooking the Lobster Tail, Bacon wrap Filet, Pineapple and Corn on the Cobb Together is that all start and finish at the same time,  I go into greater detail about the cooking methods elsewhere in this blog but the Readers digest version is Pre Heat to 225 cook steak and Lobster to an Internal Temperature of 135 to 140 about 45 minutes

Bacon Wrap Filet and BBQ Recipe

BBQ Corn on The Cobb

BBQ Smoke Pineapple

Sunday Lunch

Sunday Lunch and Leftovers Pork Steaks, Brats and SweetPotatoes

Pork Steaks

Cheddar Brats

Sweet Potatoes

Traeger Recipes:

Pork Steaks:

These pork steaks are pre-seasoned with Bobs BBQ seasoning.  Cook them at 350 on the Traeger till an internal temperature of 140 to 145.  About 10 Minutes on each side

Cheddar Brats

 Cook them at 350 on the Traeger till an internal temperature of 140 to 145.  About 10 Minutes on each side

Sweet Potatoes

I wash the Sweet Potatoes

Cut them in half wrap in tin foil

Cook at 350 on the Traeger until soft about 60 Minutes.

Sunday Dinner

Porterhouse Steak

Traeger Recipe Porterhouse Steak see Video

If Video dosent paly Try Porterhouse Video Link click here

I will follow the Video except

I will use Trader Joe Garlic and Coffee Rub

Monday Dinner

Pulled pork

 Pulled Pork Traeger Recipe

Ingredients:

Bone In Pork Butt 6 to 10 lbs or more

Your favorite Dry rub for Pork

Apple Juice in spray bottle

Preperation

Rub Pork Butt all over with your favorite rub

Grill Setup

Start Traeger on smoke for 10 minutes with lid open'

Preheat lid closed to temperature 225

Some People smoke for first 3 hours either using 180 or the smoke setting

then raise to 225.

The Cook

Right before placing on grill spray with apple juice all over

Place Pork Butt on Traeger

Spray with apple juice every 30 minutes or so

After about 3 hours you can move to shallow pan with enough apple juice to cover bottom of pan

At about 6 hours place temperature probe in Traeger.

Continue to cook till an Internal Temperature of 203 degrees

The Wrap and Rest

Once desired temperature reached removed from grill double wrap in foil and place in cooler to rest for 1 to 3 hours.  Pull and enjoy.  We use a light coating of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce after we pull

Recipe Notes

I delay putting the Probe in because its going to take 10 hours or more to cook and the probe gives the smoke a few more places to escape.

Some people wrap the butt  (Texas crutch) at about 160 to get past the stall

Tong Test if you dont cook to temperature --When you can lift the Butt with Tongs and the bone falls out its ready

For more Labor day cooking ideas see the Traeger Blog

Please Note:

Any recipe I make is just a guideline.  I am not a big fan of gooey sauces so almost everything is I cook would be a dry rub.  You of course should experiment and see what works best for you.  I don't often recommend a rub because it is a matter of personnel taste.  These recipe would also work well on most other pellet grills or charcoal and gas grill using indirect heat for the low temperature recipes.