Juicy Grilled Pork Chops

The trick to Juicy Grilled Pork Chops is to brine the pork chops before grilling.

It's not hard... just takes time.

They say pork is the new white meat I guess because it can be very lean. This is a good thing except for when it gets dried out and tough and flavourless.

Enter the overnight brine! Hands on time is only about 10 minutes but then the chops need to sit in the brine minimum 2 hours but overnight is better. Try not to exceed 24 hours so the texture of the pork doesn't start to change.

After the brine, dry the chops and rub the dry mix on. Give that 20 minutes to absorb flavour and then on to the grill.

I am hooked on those 2 " thick fairly lean chops from Costco. That also helps to keep the center moist.

In any case an instant read thermometer is your best friend to avoid over cooking. Mine took about 20 minutes over medium heat to reach 145 degrees. Then let them rest lightly covered (or tented) for about 5 minutes. The juices will redistribute and the temperature will rise a bit more during the 'tenting'.

I served these with fresh corn on the cob. If you like the Mexican Street Corn flavours the cumin and chile in the rub will go well with the corn.

I also served a Panzanella salad on the side. All the makings of a delicious summer meal.

Wine Pairing for Juicy Grilled Pork Chops

Pork is quite versatile so lots of choices. The dry rub on the chops has lots of flavour so look for a sturdy white like a Chardonnay or oaked Chenin Blanc. A medium bodied red would also go well. Try them with a Rhone GSM blend, Merlot, Shiraz or Tempranillo.

Juicy Grilled Pork Chops

Brining the chops overnight is the key to juicy, flavourful chops.

Author: Carolyn Hetke

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Brining Time: 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• ▢
  Grill

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 thick pork chops try for 2" or as thick as you can get

Brine

• ▢ 4 cups water divided 2 + 2
• ▢ ¼ cup Kosher salt see Note 1 below.
• ▢ 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Dry Rub

• ▢ 4 cloves garlic crushed
• ▢ ⅔ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chile powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 lime, juice only
• ▢ salt and pepper for seasoning

Instructions

Brining

• Add salt, vinegar and sugar to 2 cups of water and microwave to boiling point, stirring periodically to dissolve salt.
• When salt is dissolved add 2 cups of cold water. Allow brine to come to room termperature.
• Lay pork chops in a single layer in a shallow container. Cover with brine and refrigerate a minium of 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Turn the chops or container half way through to ensure both sides of the chops get lots of brine time.
• Remove chops from the brine and discard the brine. Lightly dry the chops with a paper towel.
• Mix all the rub ingredients together and rub onto both sides of the chops. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper.
• Allow rub to sit on chops for 20 minutes while BBQ grill is heating up.
• Grill over medium heat until internal temperature reaches 145° F, turning only once or twice. Mine took about 20 minutes but timing will depend on the thickness of your chops and the actual heat of your BBQ.
• Remove chops from grill, cover loosely and allow chops to sit 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Note 1:  Kosher salt is a coarse salt, just slightly finer than pickling salt.  Do not use regular table salt or you meat will be too salty.  A coarse sea salt can be substituted one for one.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 7162mg | Potassium: 569mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 408IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

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