How To Grill Pork Chops Like a Boss

It isn’t hard to make badass Pork Chops and just a little time and know-how will get you to chops nirvana! This step-by-step tutorial on How To Grill Pork Chops Like a Boss is a crash course in becoming a grilling superstar.

Recently, we made an awesome steak and showed How To Grill A Steak Like a Boss. I thought it would be fun in our grilling series to continue this theme and do the same for pork chops. Additionally, we are going to make our own BBQ sauce that can be used for these pork chops or any other recipe that calls for Barbecue Sauce. Need a great side? Check out this tasty grilled Mexican corn recipe or this zesty grilled carrots with honey mustard glaze recipe.

Look, grilling pork chops is not rocket science, but it IS easy to mess up. With some easy steps and care, you can be the backyard hero you want to be. Today, we are going to show how to grill pork chops like a boss.

Summary Of Grilling Pork Chops

Like our steak, most of the actual work comes before the meat hits the grill. Even if you do everything right on the grill, but haven’t put in some care and consideration into your pregame, you might end up with a dud. I think it is fair to break our process down into three parts

1. How to pick the right pork chops
2. How to prepare the meat before it goes on the grill
3. How to grill pork chops once you have them ON the grill

How to Pick The Right Pork Chops

Sorry, folks… you are probably going to have to go to your trusted local butcher instead of the grocery store for a great cut.  The problem is the thickness of the pork chops available at the normal grocery store tend to be on the slender side. You will need at least 1 1/2 inch chops to do the job. Often, you are only going to find thin little guys at a grocery store. That is not what we want for awesome pork chops. Like a steak, we want to sear the outside and then move it to a different zone on your grill to finish out the cooking.

For our cut, we want to look for the Loin Chop. This is basically the T-Bone of the pork world. On one side of the bone you are going to find the loin and on the other, the tenderloin. While this cut is going to have mild pork flavor, it is going to provide great tenderness and there are not many chops that will beat it.

Butcher Box

Of Course, you can also let the professionals do the shopping for you! Butcher Box can send high-quality meat to your doorstep monthly. It is a great way to get great meat and not have to think too much about searching all over for that great cut of meat.

How to prepare the meat before it goes on the grill – BRINE IT

Giving your pork chops a salty bath before being cooked will help your chops retain moisture and a more tender end product. Make sure to give your thick chops enough time in that salt jacuzzi before placing them bad boys on the grill. And when I say give them enough time, I would say anything from 1-3 hours before cooking is a good amount of time.

How to grill pork chops

Very similar to how we did our steak. Heat one side of your grill to 500° degrees Fahrenheit. The other should be indirect heat only. We are going to use the hot side to sear both sides for just a few minutes and then the other side (zone 2) to actually cook. Only on the cool side will we add our bbq sauce. 145 is the temp we are shooting for, a la the FDA. Use a thermometer! We will. Actually, take it off at 135 and let rest for 10 minutes. It should finish cooking that last 10 degrees off the grill.

WATCH THAT TEMP

Once you move your pork chops from zone one to zone two, don’t be afraid to temp that little guy. After it has been on the grill long enough to flip, you have to start watching it. Pork chops are little more temperamental than a ribeye. If you overcook a steak, it still has a fighting chance of tasting good. With pork chops, your window is pretty small in the temperature department. If you don’t get it off at the right time, it will very quickly dry out and turn to a stinker. You spent all this time getting your chops ready, use your thermometer. So, once it hits that 135-degree mark, take it off and let it rest for 10 minutes. Make sure it hits that 145 degrees Farenheight mark for safety. And if you don’t have a meat thermometer… GET ONE.

Our BBQ Sauce

A few years ago, we bottled up a bunch of BBQ sauce and gave it as gifts for Christmas. It was called “Ben & Ashley’s Baby Jesus BBQ.” It was a hit and we loved it. The BBQ recipe we give here is a  is a scaled down version of that recipe and really is simple to make. You can keep it in your fridge for a few months and it tastes sweet and zingy.

Products I Use For This Recipe

1. Weber Genisis III
2. Digital Thermometer
3. Grill Tongs
4. Medium Sauce Pan
5. Cooking Brush

I hope you really enjoyed this recipe and learned a bit about making a better pork chop! If you like what we are doing here, please subscribe to our email list and follow us on the Instagram.

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