Grilled Pork Chops

There is not much better or easier than a grilled pork chop. Pork and a grill just go together. Start with a simple brine followed by a short grilling and your in "hog heaven"  so to speak.

Let's talk chops for a minute. I like to use an inch thick slice of pork loin as my "pork chop". Buy a whole or part of a loin and cut 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices. You can asuse them for pork chops, for shredded Mexican or they freeze great.

This method would be fine for the more traditional bone in chop but it is the thickness that matters. This is for 1 to 1 1/2 inches. If you have the normal American pre-cut 3/4 inch chop, it will cook a lot faster. Do it over high heat about 4 minutes per side and then check the temperature.

Rating

I have gone back and forth here. A high 4 or low 5... but I love me some pig.

Notes: Skip the brine for speed but it does add some moisture and avoids that "dry pork" thing that is easy to get.  I added some garlic to the brine since we must have garlic at our house. Eliminate it or add other flavors of you want.

This should work fine on a charcoal grill as well as a gas grill. Just the heat down a little from maximum. 

Trim a couple of 1 to 1 1/2 inch pork chops. I like 1 inch center cut pork loin "chops" well trimmed.

Mix brine in 1 gallon zip lock: 2 cups cold water, 2 T table salt, 2 T brown sugar and 1 t garlic powder (optional), Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Salt note: 2 tablespoon of table salt is 3 T of Diamond kosher salt or 4 T of Morton kosher salt.

When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium high (about 450 surface temperature). Rinse the pork under running water.

Pat dry, add pepper to taste. Do not add salt if you did the brine. If you skipped the brine, also add salt.

Grill on a well oiled grill for about 5 minutes per side initially then flip about every 5 minutes aiming for an internal temperature of 145-150. About 20-25 minutes depending on grill and thickness. If you want BBQ than add sauce the last 5 minutes.

Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes or a little more before serving.

Grilled Pork Chops

by Dan Mikesell August-4-2013

There is not much better or easier than a grilled pork chop. Pork and a grill just go together. Start with a simple brine followed by a short grilling and your in "hog heaven" so to speak.

Ingredients

• 2 one inch pork chops
• pepper to taste
• kosher salt - only add if not brining

Brine

• 2 cups cold water
• 2 T table salt (more of using kosher salt)
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 t garlic powder

Instructions

1) Trim a couple of 1 to 1 1/2 inch pork chops. I like 1 inch center cut pork loin "chops" well trimmed.2) Mix brine in 1 gallon zip lock: 2 cups cold water, 2 T table salt, 2 T brown sugar and 1 t garlic powder (optional), Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Salt note: 1 tablespoon of table salt is 1 1/2 T of Diamond kosher salt or 2 T of Morton kosher salt.3) Mix brine in 1 gallon zip lock: 2 cups cold water, 2 T table salt, 2 T brown sugar and 1 t garlic powder (optional), Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Salt note: 2 tablespoon of table salt is 3 T of Diamond kosher salt or 4 T of Morton kosher salt.4) When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium high (about 450 surface temperature). Rinse the pork under running water.5) Pat dry, add pepper to taste. Do not add salt if you did the brine. If you skipped the brine, also add salt.6) Grill on a well oiled grill for about 5 minutes per side initially then flip about every 5 minutes aiming for an internal temperature of 145-150. About 20-25 minutes depending on grill and thickness. If you want BBQ than add sauce the last 5 minutes.7) Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes or a little more before serving.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: 2 chops

Updated

August 4 2013

Dan Mikesell