Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
Deliciously tender and juicy pork chops from the grill are easy to make when you choose the right cut of pork and prep with a one-hour brine.
Why We Love This Recipe
If you’ve ever made grilled pork chops and had them turn out dry and tough, you’re not alone. However, deliciously tender, juicy chops are a cinch to make provided you have the right cut of pork and an hour to bathe them in a simple brine before cooking. We also like to coat them with our own sweet-and-smoky barbecue rub. It adds flavor and the sugar in it caramelizes on the outside of the chops like a glaze.
Key Ingredients
These tasty chops turn out perfectly every time if you follow our list of tips for success. Let’s start with a few words about the ingredients.
- The right type of pork chops: Bone-in rib chops are our number one choice for grilling. Choose chops between 3/4 and 1-inch thick with nice marbling and resist the urge to trim them as the rim of fat around the outside adds extra moisture and flavor. If you can’t get bone-in rib chops, the next best choice would be bone-in center-cut chops. These chops are tender and flavorful, but generally have less marbling than rib chops and consequently are not quite as juicy.
- A homemade brine: A quick and easy brine made with water, kosher salt, sugar, and a couple of cloves of garlic helps to tenderize the pork chops and keep them moist and juicy despite the intense heat of the grill. During grilling season we make up a couple of quarts of this brine (minus the garlic) and keep it refrigerated. It can be used on pork tenderloin, boneless chicken breasts, even salmon fillets.
- A simple rub for added flavor: This recipe calls for a coating of our Smoky BBQ Rub to be added to the chops just before grilling. It’s a simple mixture of sweet and smoked paprika, salt, pepper, brown sugar, dry mustard, onion powder, and garlic powder, and it’s the same one we use for our pulled pork recipe. If you don’t want to fuss with making a rub, no worries, it’s not imperative as the brine adds sweet and savory flavor and a hint of garlic.
Three Steps to Juicy Pork Chops from the Grill
- Brine the chops: Combine 2 cups of water with the salt and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until all the salt and sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat and stir in 2 cups of cold water along with 2 cloves of garlic. Set the brine aside to cool, then pour it into a large, heavy-duty zip-top bag and add the pork chops. Remove as much air as possible and seal tightly. Refrigerate the chops for 1 hour, turning the bag over after 30 minutes.
- Prepare the chops: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Remove the chops from the brine and pat them dry on both sides with paper towels. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the Smoky BBQ Rub on each side of the chops and rub it into the meat with the back of a spoon. Alternately, you can rub them with a little olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Because of the salt in the brine, be careful when seasoning the outside of the meat.
- Grill the chops: Oil the grill grates thoroughly and add the chops. Grill for 4 minutes on the first side, turn and continue grilling until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes additional. You can check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer and remove the chops from the grill when they reach 135 to 140°F (for medium). Allow the pork chops to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Brined and Grilled Pork Chops FAQs
Choose bone-in chops that are around 3/4-inch thick, have some marbling and fat around the outside, and soak them in a brine solution (water, salt, and sugar) for one hour prior to grilling.
Combine 2 cups of water with 4 tablespoons of salt and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Simmer and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat, add 2 cups of cold water and cool completely before brining the chops for 1 hour.
For 3/4 to 1-inch thick chops, cook on well-oiled grates for 4 minutes on the first side, 3 to 4 minutes on the second, or until a thermometer registers (135 to 140°F for medium). Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
More Popular Grilling Recipes
- Grilled Swordfish with Lemon-Basil Butter
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Peach BBQ Sauce
- Perfect Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Grilled Moroccan Lamb Kefta
- Grilled Turkey Salad with Low-Fat Avocado Dressing
LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS: If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a comment below. We’re always happy to hear from our readers! You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram, or sign up for our email list to get our recipes sent directly to your inbox.
Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork rib chops, 3/4 to 1-inch thick – see notes
- 2-1/2 to 3 tablespoons [Smoky BBQ Rub]
For the brine:
- 4 cups water, divided
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Instructions
- Make the brine by combining 2 cups of water with the salt and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until all the salt and sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat and stir in 2 cups of cold water along with the garlic. Set aside.
- Once the brine has cooled completely, pour it into a large, heavy-duty zip-top bag and add the pork chops. Remove as much air as possible and seal tightly. Refrigerate the chops for 1 hour, turning the bag over after 30 minutes to ensure even brining.
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Remove the chops from the brine and pat them dry on both sides with paper towels. Discard the brine.
- If desired, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the Smoky BBQ Rub on each side of the chops and rub it into the meat with the back of a spoon. Alternately, you can rub them with a little olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Because of the salt in the brine you'll want to be sure to go easy when seasoning the outside of the meat.
- Oil the grill grates and add the chops. Grill for 4 minutes on the first side, turn and continue grilling until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes additional. Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer and remove the chops from the grill when they reach 135 to 140°F (for medium). Allow the chops to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
I’m so glad you’ve stopped by. Whether you want to make a quick weeknight meal or special holiday dinner, we’ve got hundreds of wholesome, flavorful recipes for you to try. 
13 Comments on “Juicy Grilled Pork Chops”
These turned out so well – some of the best pork chops I have ever made. I made the rub without salt since it had already been brained, and they were perfect for us. My whole family decided this recipe is a keeper.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for taking the time to share your comment. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
The removal temp at 135 degrees was spot on. I took a cooking class once and the subject was pork. The teaching chef said ‘if you look at you pork chops and they look perfect to you, you have probably left them on to long. Now with instant reads, it takes the guess work out of the equation. Just change my mind. It will be grilled chops on the 4th now. Thanks.
Thanks for your comment. I agree with the chef about the chops – you have to remember that residual heat!
So happy that you liked them Lillian! The brine is easy and always produces great results.
I left them in the brine overnight and they were the best darn chops I have ever had!! I used a Tupperware container instead of a plastic bag but it was awesome, they were so juicy and some wonderful thick pork chops we got at our local farmer’s market but these are the recipe we used for the chops we bought and this recipe really did them justice!!
Hi Elisabeth,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m so glad to hear the brine worked out on your pork chops. It’s pretty versatile too. We’ve used it for grilled pork tenderloin, turkey tenderloins and boneless chicken breasts too (shorter brining time on the boneless meats though).
Never used BRINE until I tried your recipe. I really feel it helps as our lean pork can also be dry when grilled. I followed the recipe and was very pleased. Thank you !
Hi Beth,
Brining really does help to keep grilled pork and chicken moist and tender. I try to keep some on hand in the fridge during grilling season.
Don’t have access to a grill…could broil? Or grill pan?
Hi Susan,
Yes, you can certainly make these in the broiler or grill pan. If you decide to broil, get chops that are on the thicker side and broil them on a rack set over a pan with about 1/4-inch of water in it. Place the oven rack about 5 inches below the broiler too – those steps should help prevent smoking. As far as time is concerned, you may need to cook a little longer than the recipe calls for. It all depends on your broiler. Hope this helps.
This was a super recipe. I used an Applewood Rub instead of the smokey bbq rub. I followed the rest of the recipe with that one exception. The meat was tender with a little kick. I cooked fresh kale and amish macaroni salad. Dinner was great. Enjoy!
Hi Deidre,
The applewood rub sounds great – so glad you enjoyed the chops!