Perfect Pork Chops
Have you ever experienced a chewy pork chop? How about dry? Tough too? You don’t say. I bet most of us have. Me included. Gordon Ramsay said once there are no bad ingredients, only bad chefs. Did he say that? I’m not sure. Maybe I said that. I’m getting old.
I will show you below how to hit a home run with chops at the dinner table. Read below!
Cooker I Used:
Fuel Used:
Kingsford Charcoal aka “Blue Bag”
Total time:
2-4 Hours (Dry Brine)
20-30min (Cook)
Ingredients
Protein
Berkshire Pork Loin chops (mine were bone-in and frenched)
2 Chops about 6-8 ounces each.
Seasoning:
You can get pretty wild with BBQ rubs and seasonings. I like to do a classic Salt, Pepper, Garlic with rosemary on the grill. I tried a variation of that in a pre-made rub by Kinders called buttery garlic and herb. I also use two small sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Other Notable Preparations:
I love to use Big Poppa Smokers “Money” rub. It has a great flavor on pork. I will often reverse sear chops like these. I will liberally apply the rub prior to grilling. Pork loves traditional BBQ flavors and pairings, it is great with some smoke on it and rubs that have a touch of sweetness.
Time Line:
2-4 hours prior to cook
I start by prepping the meat, which means taking it out of taking it out of the package and trimming it up. The chops that I buy locally at the Meatup Fresno are Berkshire Pork Chops, frenched (meaning they cut away meat and fat from the bone for presentation purposes). I want to take a moment to highlight “Berkshire” and what that means. It’s what Jay was talking about in our Kurobuta pork article. It’s a premium cut of pork that is far and away better than your average pork chop on special at your local grocery store. I “dry brine” them. Again, putting just Kosher salt and covering all surfaces with a coating of salt. Letting that sit up in the refrigerator for some time prior to cooking.
Dry-brined and awaiting the grill.
The Cook:
I take the brined chops from the fridge and dust them with the rub and fresh ground black pepper. I will mince one of the springs of rosemary and sprinkle a small bit on the chops - a little goes a long way here. Reserve the other sprig for in a minute.
Start your fire, go with a medium fire, and cook using indirect heat. Throw that remaining sprig on the grill surface over the fire (see picture below). It will infuse your chops with some wonderful aromas as it smokes. Chops are pretty delicate too, you don’t want to over cook. They are almost as finicky as a chicken breast. I will usually set a 10 minute timer to see where I’m at temperature wise. I’m looking to get them to an internal temp of 100-110F. Once I hit that temp I will proceed to the sear.
Sprig of fresh rosemary and pork chops ready for some indirect cooking.
The SEAR:
You can go 1-2 minutes lid off on each side. Remember, cook with all your senses here. If you start to see flare ups, turn or remove from the heat. It’s ok, you’re looking for some nice charred bits, not a sheet of crusty black char on the bottom.
If you’re doing premium pork, I’d remove at 135F and rest. Temperature is critical on this. I watch my chops like a hawk during the sear and temp them pretty often to see how they are doing. I don’t go past 145F on the sear, anything beyond that and I start getting flashbacks to chewy pork chops.
When you pull them off let them rest for about 10 minutes before slicing them. If you’re going to grill some vegetables now would be a great time while you’re waiting and still have fire.
These should be tender and juicy, with a wonder firm but delicate texture. The rosemary shines through with the garlic and pepper. Enjoy!
TLDR Steps:
Trim
Dry Brine
Season
Cook
Slice and Eat!