Juicy thick-cut pork chops are just a few steps away with this simple recipe. Get ready to savor juicy, tender cuts kissed by flames and infused with irresistible smoky flavor from the homemade BBQ rub. Elevate your grilling game and create a culinary masterpiece that will have your taste buds begging for more.
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Featured Comment:
"Perfect recipe! My thick pork chops were the best I ever made. My husband loved them."
- Karen
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
Simple Ingredients: With only 3 ingredients, you'll love how simple this recipe is!
Easy Steps: This easy pork chop recipe has only a few simple steps and is easy to follow!
Irresistible Juiciness: With a delicious BBQ rub crust and a quick sear to lock in moisture, this method makes the best flavorful and juicy pork chops. For another way to make juicy pork chops, check out this sous vide pork chop recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
- Pork Chops: This recipe calls for bone-in pork chops approximately 1.25" thick and 14-16 oz each. But you can use this recipe for other types of pork chops if you adjust the cooking time a bit. Boneless chops, center-cut chops, sirloin chops, thin pork chops, or any other variety of pork chops you can find at your local grocery store will work!
- BBQ Rub: A homemade BBQ rub made from a handful of simple ingredients like kosher salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, and other herbs and spices is used in this recipe. You can substitute your favorite rub or grilling seasoning as well.
- Spicy Brown Mustard: A layer of spicy brown mustard helps the seasoning adhere to the meat. You can use other mustards or oils like olive oil as well.
Equipment Notes:
- Meat Thermometer: An instant-read thermometer is essential for getting your pork chops to the proper internal temperature.
- Pellet Grill: This recipe is written for a pellet grill, but any outdoor grill (gas, charcoal, etc.) will work.
Step by Step Instructions:
How To Prepare Pork Chops for Grilling:
Depending on the thickness of the fat on your pork chops, you may want to score it to help it cook thoroughly.
Step 1: Using a sharp knife, score the outer fat on the pork chops about 1" apart.
Step 2: Leave about ¼" of fat uncut around the meat part of the pork chop.
How To Season Pork Chops:
A layer of spicy brown mustard and homemade BBQ rub is all you need for perfectly seasoned pork chops. You can use your favorite mustard and/or favorite dry rub as well.
Step 1: For best results, pat pork chops dry with paper towels
Step 2: Coat each pork chop with 1 teaspoon of spicy brown mustard.
Step 3: Coat each pork chop with 1 teaspoon of BBQ seasoning. Rub the seasoning into the meat.
Step 4: Don't forget to coat the fat in the seasoning too! Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before grilling.
Pro Tip: Seasoning the pork chops in advance allows the dry rub to adhere to the meat. The rub acts as a dry brine and helps lock moisture into the pork chops.
How To Grill Pork Chops:
The best way I've found to grill pork chops is to give them a quick sear to get grill marks and then finish cooking them with indirect heat. The cooking time will depend largely on the thickness of the chop but this simple method always works great!
Step 1: Preheat grill to 350 degrees F. Grill pork chops directly over the flames for a quick sear. (1-2 minutes per side)
Step 2: Move pork chops off of the flames and cook with indirect heat for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
Step 3: Remove the pork chops from the grill and let them rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Step 4: Slice pork chops into ½" slices. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: Cooking the pork chops mostly with indirect heat helps cook the fat so that it is tender and succulent instead of chewy and hard to eat. The melt-in-your-mouth fat on the outside of a pork chop is the best part so you want it to be cooked properly!
How To Keep Pork Chops Moist:
Pork chops are an interesting cut of meat because while they do have a lot of fat on the sides of the chops, the center of the chop is actually a pretty lean meat. To achieve moist and tender pork chops, a few simple steps need to be followed.
First, seasoning the chops several hours before cooking acts as a brine which locks in moisture. Second, giving them a quick sear before cooking with indirect heat also helps lock in moisture. Third, always let your meat rest before you cut into it! This lets the juices redistribute in the meat so they don't end up on your cutting board or plate.
What to Serve with Pork Chops:
These pork chops can be the centerpiece for an easy dinner or a fancier meal depending on what you choose to serve them with. Garlic green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, baked sweet potatoes, and grilled potatoes are all great side dishes for these flavorful pork chops.
Recipe FAQ's:
Whether you choose to grill pork chops or cook them on the stove, the best method is to do a quick sear to lock in the moisture and finish the cooking process with indirect heat. On a grill, you can sear the chops over the flames and then move them to the side of the flames. On the stove, sear them in a cast iron pan and then finish them in the oven.
Seasoning or brining pork chops several hours before cooking helps lock in moisture. Searing them and then finishing them at a lower temperature also helps keep moisture in. Don't forget to let your chops rest after cooking to keep the juices in as well!
Pork chops come from the loin of a pig that runs from the shoulder to the hip. It's the same cut of meat that ribeyes come from in cattle and backstraps in big game animals.
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to me and fellow readers. And if you want more delicious wild game recipes, subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Recipe:
Grilled Thick Cut Pork Chops
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 thick cut pork chops (~1.25" thick and 14-16 oz each)
- 2 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoon homemade BBQ seasoning
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, score the outer fat on the pork chops about 1" apart. Leave about ¼" of fat uncut around the meat part of the pork chop.
- Pat pork chops dry with paper towels.
- Coat each pork chop with 1 teaspoon of spicy brown mustard.
- Coat each pork chop with 1 teaspoon of BBQ seasoning. Rub the seasoning into the meat and fat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before grilling.
- Preheat grill to 350°F.
- Grill pork chops directly over the flames for 1-2 minutes per side.
- Move pork chops off of the flames and cook with indirect heat for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Remove the pork chops from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Slice pork chops into ½" slices. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use this recipe for other types of pork chops if you adjust the cooking time a bit.
- You can substitute your favorite rub or grilling seasoning for the homemade BBQ rub.
- A layer of spicy brown mustard helps the seasoning adhere to the meat. You can use other mustards or oils like olive oil as well.
- A meat thermometer is essential for getting your pork chops to the proper internal temperature.
- This recipe is written for a pellet grill, but any outdoor grill (gas, charcoal, etc.) will work.
- Seasoning the pork chops in advance allows the dry rub to adhere to the meat. The rub acts as a dry brine and helps lock moisture into the pork chops.
- Cooking the pork chops mostly with indirect heat helps cook the fat so that it is tender and succulent instead of chewy and hard to eat. The melt-in-your-mouth fat on the outside of a pork chop is the best part so you want it to be cooked properly!
Karen
Perfect recipe! My thick pork chops were the best I ever made. My husband loved them.
Annie Weisz
Thank you so much, Karen! I'm so happy you and your husband enjoyed the pork chops!
Anonymous
Definitely have to sear for longer. Followed this to a T with 1” thick chops,. 3 minutes per side sear, and 20 minutes indirect all at 350. Didn’t even register on the thermometer after all that so I turned on all burners again to try to salvage my time. Two stars since I was able to salvage thanks to my experience. A very novice cook is not going to be happy.
Annie Weisz
I'm sorry the recipe didn't work out for you as planned! I use this method all the time for thick-cut pork chops and they always turn out great. I use a pellet grill which holds heat differently than a typical gas grill. I'm glad you were able to make it work!