Family in town, suggestions for meat to grill?

[tugboat]

My wife's sister, her husband and two kids, and my mother in law will be in town at the end of the month. My sister in law and her family live in Brooklyn, and my brother in law is a bit of a foodie and a great cook, so I wanted to do something that they can't do in their tiny apartment. Some sort of reverse sear or smoked meat thing. He'll be taking care of side dishes. My question is what to do for the meat? I have a Weber gas grill (Spirit E-310) and some grill grates and can do a pretty decent reverse sear. I definitely want to add some smoke since they definitely can't smoke meat up there.

I'm thinking some nice 1-1/2" thick pork chops. Simon and Garfunkel rub, dry brined but am open to suggestions. I'm considering rib eyes too. Is there any other good pork or beef cuts that are good smoking or reverse sear (with a kiss of smoke) candidates? I don't think I have the grill capacity for spare ribs (don't want baby backs) and I have done Pork Tenderloins in the past but am kinda tenderloined out. No briskets or the like that require 10 hours but up to 5 or so is fine. I'll save the big clods of meat for when I have a charcoal grill.

I plan on ordering it from a local farm and driving out as a family to pick them up. They have farm animals for the kids to see and it should be a fun little trip.

[Jerod Broussard]

Some good thick pork chops. I dry brine but after that it just a little sweet sauce to top them off at the end.

[fuzzydaddy]

I'm with @Jerrod Broussard on pork chops. Otherwise, I was going to suggest my favorite...pulled pork from butts, but that's a looooong cook (my favorite to cook and eat, along with pork ribs). You will do great! Whatever you decide, if you've not done them before and/or want any advice, just ask!

[tugboat]

That's what I'm leaning towards. What sauce(s) do you typically use? I used the Simon and Garfunkel rub and a bit of applewood smoke this past weekend and they turned out fantastic. Their thick chops are typically pretty good without a rub, and that was before I found this site and I didn't know what I was doing. I just tried them this time for the fist time after finding this site and reverse seared them with the rub and they turned out fantastic.

[Jerod Broussard]

Typically a mixture of BBQ sauce and Italian dressing(1:1). Sometimes I will coat them for the cook, you just don't want too much direct heat on the sauce.

[Skip]

Another nice side sauce for pork is Raspberry Jam (without seeds) and your favorite medium BBQ Sauce mixed 50/50 and warmed. Serve it on the side and you will get compliments! Good luck.

[bbqoaf]

Good idea, I often do a raspberry jam mixed with minced jalapeño or Serrano chills. I usually steve it with cheddar and crackers but would be good on pork too.

[Brisket Syndicate]

Nice thick hand cut loin chops with a raspberry chipotle sauce is always good.

[DWCowles]

I would just get chicken it's cheaper

[HorseDoctor]

Most "city folk" are familiar with chicken and steak but think pork chops are 1/2" thick or less. Get some nice 1 1/2" thick bone in chops, dry brine and do a reverse sear. Serve up at no more than 145 F. Sauce is optional unless you overcook them. Serve sauce on the side. Bet that will be a new and eye opening experience for them. Good luck!

[Nate]

My personal favorite is whole pork loin. Takes about 3-4 hours to smoke. I sometimes inject it with a little bit of apple juice. Then I put a rib rub on it and smoke it up to 145ish, hold, slice, and serve. If you want to add a little something extra to it then slather it with a little horseradish mustard before you smoke it. You can serve it as just a slice of meat or you can put it on a sandwich.

As far as Pork Chops... Dry brine them with Kosher Salt and a touch of sugar (helps with the browning during searing). When you are reverse searing have some melted butter and thyme (and/or other aromatic spices) that you can spoon over them while searing.

I agree with DWCowles on the chicken... Hard to go wrong there. I like Chris Lilly's Loaf Pan Chicken and my family loves it as well.

[Jon Solberg]

I'm on the chicken band wagon which gets you away from the loin.

[bbqoaf]

I'm a big fan of buying a whole rack of pork roast and then cutting individual 2 bone thick chops. My method is to wet brine, rub of your choice, smoke to 130 IT before the sear to land at about 140 IT when its totally done with whatever sauce works with your rub. I find the double cut chop stays nice and juicy with lots of surface area for delicious charred goodness.

[tugboat]

Thanks for the help everyone! I think I'll stick with the nice thick pork chops. Should be quite a feast!!

[BBQCentralShow]

I was going to say pork tenderloins...but if you are on the outs with them right now then disregard. However, people love them when cooked well and you can try a bunch of different rubs and sauces to provide max exposure to your guests...perhaps adding a nice grilled salad as well? Always a crowd pleaser!

[Powersmoke_80]

Grilled salad? Can't say I have ever heard of that, could you please elaborate a little.

[tugboat]

I actually like pork tenderloin, it's just that my wife and I eat it a lot. Use a nice rub and/or sauce and it's good, but it's like that song you like but gets overplayed on the radio. You get to a point where you just want to hear something else for a change.