Looking for a delicious and easy way to cook pork chops? Try grilling them! Pork chops are a versatile protein that can be grilled to perfection in just a few minutes. Check out these mouth-watering recipes for some inspiration. Your family will love the crispy, charred outside and juicy, tender inside of these delicious grilled pork chops. Bon appétit!
Grilled Pork Chops can be Tough and Flavorless. Follow these rules to Grill the Perfect Pork Chop Every Time.
Ever grill a chop and have it come out dry, tough and flavorless. There are reasons for that. Three to be exact.
First, you want to make sure you’re selecting the right chop for grilling.
Second, you want to make sure you are preparing it properly.
Third, you want to make make sure you are using the right grilling method for your chops.
We’ve tested all these pork-chop-grilling-factors and we think we’ve found the best way to grill a chop. If you are interested, read on.
Prepare Pork Chops for Grilling
Meat Selection: How To
It all starts at the butcher shop. Pick the wrong cut of meat and you are in for a tough, flavorless grilling session. Not to worry… we’ve created a summary of the type of chop – ranked by tenderness, juiciness and flavor. In short, rib chops are the best.
And if you take only one thing away from this article, make sure steer clear of the sirloin chop! Also – Be sure to make sure your pork chops are bone-in. The bone and connective tissues around the bone impart flavor to the chop when cooked. Yum.
| Chop Name | Tenderness | Juiciness | Flavor |
| Rib Chop | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Center-Cut Chop | Good | Fair | Good |
| Blade Chop | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Sirloin Chop | Poor | Poor | Poor |
Chop Preparation: How To
After many a grilling test, we determined that grilled pork chops need to be brined, and then dry-rubbed. Grilling tends to dry out pork, and brining adds moisture to the chop and gives you moist, well-seasoned pork that is difficult to overcook.
Plus, brining only takes about one hour, while marinating can take several. Just make sure you pat the brine off the chops when you’re done, or you’ll be in for some salty pork.
Pork Chop Brine Recipe
Brine Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 Bone-In Rib or Center-Cut pork chops, 1-1/2 inches thick. Each chop should weigh about 12 oz.
- Your favorite dry rub or some ground black pepper
- An disposable aluminum roasting pan large enough to cover all of the chops
Brine Directions
Dissolve the salt and brown sugar in in three quarts of cold water in a 2-gallon zipper-lock plastic bag
Refrigerate the bag with the chops in it for about one hour. Make sure all the pork chops are covered with brine. Turn the bag after 30 minutes if necessary.
Remove the chops from the brine and pat dry thoroughly
Coat the chops with the dry rub or season generously with the black pepper
How to Grilling your Pork Chops on Charcoal?
If you’re going to do it, do it over charcoal. Gas is acceptable but charcoal is going to give you that extra flavor. Here are the charcoal directions, step by step:
Step 1. Build a two-level charcoal fire. I.E. put most of the coals on one side of the grill, and put a thin layer of coals on the other side. This gives you two different heats to grill with. Use the bank of coals for high heat and searing, use the thin layer of coals for slower cooking.
Step 2. Let the grilling rack heat up for about 5 minutes after setting up your fire. Make sure the lid is on.
Step 3. When the pile of coals (the hot side) is medium-hot, and the thin layer of coals is medium-low, then your grill is ready.
Tips:
Hold your hand 5 inches above the grill grate.
Medium-hot: Hand gets hot after 3-4 seconds.
Medium-low: Hand gets hot after 7 seconds.
Step 4. Grill the chops, uncovered over medium-high heat until browned on each side. 2-1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Move the chops to the cooler part of the grill and cover with the disposable aluminum pan. Continue grilling for about 7 minutes, turning once.
After 7 minutes check the temp with an instant-read meat thermometer. If it reads 135 F, you’re done. Pork is safe to eat at 140, and the chop will reach this temperature after it rests. This is due to the bone holding extra heat. If you don’t have bone-in pork chops, grill until 140 F.
Step 5. Once the internal temperature reaches 135, take the chops off the grill and cover them with the disposable pan. Let them rest for 5 minutes (by goeres at dhead fashion). Internal temp should rise to 145 during this time. Serve after 5 mins.
How to Grilling your Pork Chops on Gas Grill?
Step 1. Turn one burner on medium-high, another on medium low.
Step 2. Grill the chops, uncovered over medium-high heat until browned on each side. Move the chops to the cooler part of the grill after 2 1/2 – 3 minutes on each side. Continue grilling for about 7 minutes, turning once.
Step 3. After 7 minutes check the temp with an instant-read meat thermometer. If it reads 135 F, you’re done. If you don’t have bone-in pork chops, grill them until they reach 140 F.
Step 4. Once the internal temperature reaches 135, take the chops off the grill and cover them (aluminum foil or a disposable pan works well). Let them rest for 5 minutes. The internal temp should reach 145 during this time. Serve your pork chops after resting 5 minutes.
What to serve with grilled pork chops?
- A complete meal for the dinner table should include side dishes to complement the main course. Try Parmesan Roasted Mashed Potatoes, Baked Cinnamon Apples, Easy Stuffing, Garlic Butter Mushrooms, Jalapeno Cornbread, Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Cheese Rolls.
- All these sides are easy to make and will provide a delicious combination to the grilled pork chops.
- For Parmesan Roasted Mashed Potatoes, simply combine boiled potatoes, butter, and parmesan cheese; bake in the oven until golden and crispy.
- Baked Cinnamon Apples are similarly simple to prepare–just add slices of apples to a baking dish with cinnamon, brown sugar and butter; bake for about 30 minutes.
- Easy Stuffing starts with pre-made stuffing mix, adding vegetable broth and butter before baking in the oven.
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms will bring an extra flavor of garlic to the meal; sauté in butter and season with herbs, salt and pepper.
- Jalapeno Cornbread gives a bit of spice to the dinner table; combine jalapenos, cornmeal, sugar and egg before baking in the oven.
- Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts are perfect for any meal; just blanch these sprouts in water until tender and then toss with balsamic vinegar and olive oil before baking in the oven.
- And finally, Cheese Rolls add a unique touch to any meal; just roll up crescent dough with cheese and bake in the oven until golden brown. All these side dishes go perfectly with grilled pork chops, providing a complete and delicious meal everyone will enjoy!
Conclusion
As you can see, it’s easy to make awesome grilled pork chops if you just select the right chop, brine it and then cook it using the right method. By thinking with the entire process in mind, your pork chop grilling adventures are sure to end in success.
What do you think? Have you barbecue pork chops recently? What’s your favourite way to season or serve bbq pork chops? Let us know in the comments below!
Thank you pitbossbelt
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