Recently Monica and I went to Perry's Steakhouse at La Cantera for our anniversary.  It was recommended by our friend Dave.  I have to say it was the best recommendation!  Perry's has a long history of providing great cuts of meat as it originally opened as a butcher shop and deli over 30 years ago.  Here is a link to their page if you are interested.

I remember going to the restaurant not feeling like eating a huge steak;  I wanted to save room for dessert!  When I looked at the menu I thought, let me try this pork chop.  A harmless pork chop, how big can that be.  Well, it was huge!  It was, as the kids say, ginormous, but it was the best thing I have ever eaten.  I have been talking about it for weeks.  Here is a picture of it.

So I decided that I wanted to try to make the same thing.  Not recreate the Perry's pork chop, just smoke the same cut of meat.  Saturday we were at the HEB Central Market and I got to talking to the butcher and asked if he could cut that for me.  He did.

The first step was to give it a rub.  I picked up some rub while we were at Central Market.  I put that on and then proceeded to prepare the barrel smoker.









I put water in the pan and fired up the burner.  I got it up to 180 degrees pretty quick and watched it as it settled down and smoke appeared from the smoke stacks.

I kept the smoke can filled with chunks of pecan wood.

I smoked them for 6 hours in the smoker.  I finished them on the grill while I also grilled the asparagus, 400 degrees.  Made for a yummy supper.

I am overall very satisfied with this.  I might try another rub and play with the temps a little more.

On this smoke I also had a problem with the can that hold the chunks.  This one has been used quite a bit.  It had some holes it from repeated heating.  This caused a lot of chunks to catch fire soon after putting them in.  I will be getting a new can for the next smoke.

Oh, and I have another rack of pork in the freezer just waiting to be smoked!

Buon appetito!