How To Serve Grilled Pork Chops
Your delicious grilled pork chops are excellent with just about any side-dish you have on hand. But, theres one thing that stands out above the rest potatoes. Our recipe for Irresistible Air Fryer Garlic Herb Potatoes is the perfect compliment for our pork chops. Theyre super easy to make and really live up to their name of being irresistible.
How To Grill Pork Chops
Learn how to season, prep, brine and grill a perfectly tender pork chop. Master these seven simple steps and youll be able to fire up the best chops.
- How to cook
Lets get grilling
For grilling pork chops, you want to set up a two-zone, medium-hot fire. Fire up a full chimney of Kingsford® Charcoal, or light a pile of about 100 briquets. With its higher top temperature and consistent burn, Kingsford® Professional is perfect for chops. When the coals are ready, arrange them in a two-zone fire. Replace the top grate, allow it to heat up all vents should be fully open then just before placing the pork chops on the grate, dip a folded paper towel in cooking oil and oil the entire grate using long-handled tongs.
The best pork chops for grilling are center-cut, bone-in rib chops that are at least an inch thick. To avoid drying the chops while grilling, either marinate or brine them before cooking. We suggest a basic brine solution of 1/4 cup salt to four cups of water. Brine the pork chops in a shallow dish for two to four hours in the refrigerator. Discard the used marinade or brine, rinse chops in cold water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Liberally apply coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to both sides. If youre feeling adventurous, you can add a wide variety of spices, from brown sugar and chili powder to coriander, turmeric and any number of ethnic blends.
Categories
- center cut bone-in pork chops4
- salt and pepper to taste
- glaze or marinade
How Long Grill Pork Chops Each Side
Place the pork chops on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on how thick they are. Continue to cook for 8-12 minutes more, turning once, or until pork chops reach a temperature of 145 degrees F. Transfer pork chops to indirect heat . Remove the pork chops from the grill and let them to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting them into pieces.
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How Long To Grill Bone
Grill time for bone-in pork chops will vary depending on thickness, so its better to asses by temperature than time. When testing this recipe, I used thick cut pork chops that were about 1 1/2 inches thick, and it took about 15 minutes over the indirect heat for them to reach 120 degrees F, which I then finished with the sear over medium high heat, another 5 minutes total.
Prepare Your Kettle For Smoking With Low Indirect Heat
Set up your grill for indirect cooking and get some wood.
You will need about 30 charcoal briquettes either arranged in a charcoal basket or banked on one side of the grill. Use a paraffin cube, tumbleweed, torch, etc to light one side of the charcoal.
Set you lower air vent to 20% open and leave the top vent completely open.
While youre doing waiting for the coals to light, go ahead and pour yourself a glass of something cold and refreshing.
As soon as a few coals have been lit you are ready to start smoking those pork chops!
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The First Step: Brining
A brine is a salt water solution that penetrates meat it adds extra liquid resulting in juicier meat. Brining make the difference between a dry and flavorless chop and a juicy, tasty pork chop
What you need for the brine:
The general rule for brine is 1 tablespoon of salt and sugar per 1 cup of water. The sugar offsets the salt, preventing the pork from tasting too salty.
Combine the brine ingredients in a large container and stir until mixed. Add pork chops and cover. Refrigerate for two hours. Feel free to add any herbs or spices to the brine this will lightly enhance the brine but wont overpower the natural flavor of the protein. After two hours, remove the pork chops from the brine and rinse thoroughly to remove any extra salt from the surface. Pat the pork dry with paper towels.
Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
Pork chops have long been known as a working mans meal. Theyre economical, lean and healthy, and quick to cook. They also have a history of coming to the dinner table dry and withery as shoe leather.
But no more! Today is the day to banish that belief because tough, dried out pork chops are about to be expelled from your vocabulary.
My husband has made these simple grilled pork chops so many times hes figured out the secrets. Whether bone-in or boneless, these pork chops turn out tender, juicy, a little bit smokey, and far from any mode of foot fashion.
Even better, these grilled pork chops dont need a marinade or a brine, so they go from package to grill to dinner in 30 minutes.
Heres how to make perfectly juicy grilled pork chops every time.
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Why We Love This Recipe
If youve ever made grilled pork chops and had them turn out dry and tough, youre not alone. However, deliciously tender, juicy chops are a cinch to make provided you have the right cut of pork and an hour to bathe them in a simple brine before cooking. We also like to coat them with our own sweet-and-smoky barbecue rub. It adds flavor and the sugar in it caramelizes on the outside of the chops like a glaze.
Grilled Pork Chop Recipe Tips
- Choose thick pork chops . You can grill boneless pork chops but bone-in pork chops usually results in juicier meat. We like rib chops!
- Season the pork chops with a seasoning mix . This spice mix acts as a dry brine. Dry brines helps the meat retain its moisture which means juicy succulent pork chops.
- Sear the pork chops on the grill over direct heat, once the pork is nicely browned, move them to the indirect heat side of the grill, cover the grill and cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit when checked with an instant read thermometer on the thickest part of the chop. Remove from the grill and let the meat rest for 10 minutes. The internal temperature will rise and reach a safe 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- This recipe is gluten free.
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One Option To The Marinade Recipe We Have Listed In This Article Is A Simple Brine
It can be made in a minute and it will add to the flavor of the pork, even if the brining only lasts for 30 minutes. Heres an easy recipe:
2-4 Tablespoons saltYour choice of herbs for extra flavor, such as:peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, star anise, orange peels, juniper berries, lemongrass, liquid smoke4 boneless pork loin chops
Everything You Need To Know About Grilling Pork Chops
- 1 half freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
Pro Tips:
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Prepare The Pork Chops For Smoking
Follow these simple steps to get your chops ready for smoking:
- Use Thick Cut Pork Chops
- Dry Rub
Lets start with the pork chops. You are going to want to use cups that are at least 1/2 inch thick and the thicker the better. if you can find chops that are 1.5 inches thick then you are going to be really happy with how these turn out.
Thin pork chops, less than 1/2 inch, cook too fast and dry out too easy. Thin chops are better suited for Hot and Fast grilling over direct heat instead of slow smoking.
Once you have the right size pork chops you are going to need to get some moisture and flavor into them. To accomplish this you are going to soak them in the same or a simple salt/sugar brine. Let the pork chops soak for at LEAST one hour and up to four hours if you have the time.
Pork Steak Marinade
- 1 cup Apple juice
- 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tbs Black Pepper
If you are short on ingredients, or just want a different flavor profile, then you can soak the chops in cheap Italian dressing. The chops will still be tasty but wont be quite as amazing as if you used the pork marinade above.
After the pork chops have marinated, rinse them off, pat dry with paper towels and season liberally with our All Purpose Dry Rub. This is a savory and sweet dry rub with a low salt content. It is perfect for smoking pork chops since the chops have plenty of salt from the brine/marinade.
All Purpose Dry Rub
- 1/2c Paprika
How Long To Cook Pork Chops On The Grill
One of the best parts about grilling pork chops? It is FAST!
The amount of time you need to cook pork chops on the grill will vary based on the thickness and whether you choose bone-in or boneless.
- My recommended 1 ½ inch, bone-in pork chops cook in 9 to 12 minutes over medium high heat. Flip them once halfway through.
- Check the pork early. You can always put your pork back on the grill to cook for longer, but once its overcooked, there is no return.
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Using A Dry Brine For Juicy Grilled Pork Chops:
Because pork chops are fairly lean, brining is helpful for tenderizing and evenly seasoning the meat. To make things easy, I use a dry brine rather than a liquid brine .
My dry brine is simply salt and pepper, rubbed evenly into both sides of the pork chops! Once seasoned, the pork chops go into the refrigerator, uncovered, for 2 to 24 hours. This is where the brining magic happens.
The salt draws out the meat juices through osmosis, of which then dissolves the salt, basically turning into a natural brine even though there isnt any liquid added. This brine is reabsorbed into the meat, breaking down tough muscle proteins to help achieve pork chop perfection.
Ingredients For Easy Grilled Bbq Pork Chops
You only need a handful of simple, high-quality ingredients for the best grilled pork chops. Here youll use both a dry rub and bbq sauce together for great flavor and texture. Applying the dry rub before cooking, and then basting with barbecue sauce during the final few minutes, gives you the best of both worlds a crisp, seared exterior thats finished with the sticky, sweet sauce!
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Tip #: Spice Things Up With A Slammin Rub
Pork chops are fine plain, but a rub will dial up the flavor. Best part? Spice blends are easy to experiment with and customize to your liking. Start with a couple tablespoons of paprika and a teaspoon of pepper, and add your favorite herbs and spices to the mix.
Just getting started? Follow the recipe below for a step-by-step guide to grilling tender, juicy pork chops, with tips from our Test Kitchen.
How To Season Pork Chops
Once you have your seasoning ready youre good to go on seasoning your pork chops.
Like with most types of seasoning or rubs, apply it to your raw defrosted meat liberally and evenly over all sides. Try to get into every area you can and dont be shy with it.
And yes, youll need to use your hands.
Once youve applied it be sure to rub it in firmly. Were trying to really work it into the flesh of the meat as best as possible.
Once thats done, you dont need to leave the meat out or store it in the refrigerator. Were pretty much ready to grill right away.
As a side note, if youre wanting to bake or pan fry this instead then this seasoning will still work just fine. If its not obvious, Im just completely biased towards grilling!
Set up your charcoal or gas grill for indirect grilling at a fairly low heat. Once ready, transfer your pork chops to the indirect zone of your grill, and slowly work to raising the temperature within your grill chamber.
The reason for this is to allow the seasoning itself to cook and form a slight coat on the surface of your pork chops. It will work better into the flesh of the pork too, giving you juicy, flavor-packed meat.
Our target internal temperature for pork is 145°F, so be sure to use a good grill meat thermometer to monitor this.
This should give you a beautifully sweet and spicy edge to your grilled pork chops, and give you a pork rub that you can come back to again and again.
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How To: Pork Chops
- Cut:Chops
- When it’s Done:145°F for medium
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Glaze or marinade
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4
If youve ever wondered how to season, prep, brine and grill a perfectly tender pork chop, youve come to the right place. Master these seven simple steps and youll be able to fire up the best chops on the block, with Kingsford® Charcoal.
How Should I Season My Pork Chops
After the pork chops are brined, theres no need to rinse them off with water simply dry them very well with paper towels. You can sprinkle on some black pepper at this point, or go with your favorite spice or spice rub. Just use a spice rub that doesnt contain salt, as youve already seasoned the chops.
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Is It Better To Grill With The Lid Open
Open lid means searing Foods thicker than ¾ of an inch, though, literally have more middle to cook. So, they can hold up to the heat chamber the lid creates, and in fact, the lid will help thicker cuts of meat or vegetables cook more evenly. Youll avoid an undercooked center with an overly browned, crusty exterior.
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Want Juicy And Moist Pork Chops From The Grill Start With A Thick Chop Dry Brine The Meat Then Cook It Over A Two
This post was originally published in 2012. It has been updated with new information based on further testing.
While I stand firmly behind my statement that skinless, boneless chicken breasts are one of the most difficult meats to grill well, pork chops are not far behind. Suffering from some of the same problems as chicken breastsminimal fat, often too thin, lacking a strong flavorpork chops can confound the griller. Luckily, the path to killer chops is not difficult, and the results have the power to change your perception of what makes a great grilled pork chop.
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Tips For The Best Grilled Bbq Pork Chops Recipe
- Get the grill nice and hot. Pork chops are a lean meat, so they stay juiciest when cooked quickly over high heat.
- Wait to baste the chops with the barbecue sauce until the final 3-4 minutes of grilling. This will prevent the pork from burning on the grill. Serve additional sauce on the side.
- The total grilling time will vary depending on a number of different factors, such as the temperature of your grill, the temperature of your chops when they go on the grill, and the size and thickness of your meat. As a result, its always best to use a meat thermometer to know exactly when your pork is done. Youre looking for an internal temperature of 145° F.
- Allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. The juices will redistribute throughout the meat so that the pork chops stay nice and juicy.
Finally, dont forget to use the store locator to find Red Neck Riviera 1776 Original Barbecue Sauce and other Red Gold® Tomatoes products in your neighborhood!
