Grilling Pork Chops on the Grill

Pork chops are marinated with flavors like honey and mustard, grilled to perfection and served along with fiery red salsa. Does this make your mouth water? Well, this is for all those people who love their pork chops and yet worry about it not being cooked properly. Okay, I do agree that pork not cooked but grilled to perfection can leave you with an unflavored, tough piece of meat. However, cooking the perfect pork chops need not be a pain anymore with these simple grilling pork chops tips.

In fact, unlike certain misconceptions, grilling pork chops is not all that difficult. The trick to getting great non-leathery grilled pork chops every time is to get the temperature just right and marinating the pork for at least 6 hours before grilling it. So for all those who want to enjoy the succulent and tasty grilled pork chops cooked just right, here is a step by step guide and tips for grilling pork chops on the grill.

How to Grill Pork Chops

For cooking the perfectly grilled pork chop you need to pick out your meat with care. When picking out pork chops check the cut and the amount of fat on each slice. You should preferably pick pork chops that are cut lean and have a sufficient amount of fat on the outer edges.

Grilled Pork Chops Marinade: The first step in grilling pork chops on the grill is to marinate them. Marinating pork chops helps in enhancing the taste of grilled pork chops by adding flavor as well as tenderizing them. To make the marinade for grilling pork chops, take a semi-deep dish and lay all the pork chops in it. Now sprinkle a meat tenderizer such as white vinegar and salt onto the exposed side of the pork chop. You can also use any of your favorite marinades. To help the seasoning set into the pork chops rub it into your pork chop until it is fully set in. Now sprinkle oregano onto the pork chop and press the seasoning into the meat. Once a side of the meat is cooked, flip it and repeat.

A great way to letting the flavors sink in, is to marinate the chops for at least 6 hours before putting them on the grill. You can place the pork chops into a resealable plastic bag and put the bag of chops into the refrigerator. For all those people who have got a couple of hours, prick the pork chops with a fork to help it absorb the marinade faster.

Preheat the Gas/Charcoal Grill: In order to grill the pork you need to preheat the grill up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In case you are grilling pork chops on a gas grill, you need to switch to medium hot and heat the grill to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you have reached the desired temperature for grilling pork chops, you need to find the hot and warm spots on your grill. On a gas grill, turn one side of the grill off or in case of a charcoal grill, move the coals to one side of the grill. The warm spot of the grill will be the side where there is no direct heat source. Read more on gas grill cooking recipes and recipes for charcoal grills.

Grilling Pork Chops: For grilling pork chops on a gas grill or on a charcoal grill, you need to remove the chops from the plastic bag and use tongs to place them on the hot spot of the grill. Sear each side of the chops for 1-2 minutes by turning the chops over with a pair of tongs. Now turn down the fire to low and close the lid on the grill. Cook the chops until the juices run clear when slitted or an instant-read meat thermometer reads 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember not to place your pork chops over direct flame or heat as they can cause the meat to not only cook too fast, but also possibly burn. Once the chops are cooked take them off the grill and let them rest for 5-10 minutes under a foil tent. After they have rested for 5-10 minutes, you can now serve the pork chops with either grilled baked potatoes, grilled veggies or rice.

Grilled Pork Chops Recipes

The Classic Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 8 (1/2-inch thick) pork chops
• 8 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of lemon grass finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

For this food recipe, add the chopped onions and lemon grass in a large bowl along with salt, pepper, and sugar. Mix all the ingredients together until it becomes a thick paste and then add fish sauce, brandy and chili flakes. Coat each pork chop with seasoning and refrigerate it for a couple hours before grilling them.

Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 boneless pork chops
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes

Directions

Add lime juice, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Now add oil in a slow stream while you are whisking it well. Add the cilantro. Now pat the pork with the marinade and season it with salt and pepper. Oil the grill rack and then the grill pork chops, covered, turning over once, until just cooked through. To cook the pork chops thoroughly you need a total of around 5 to 6 minutes.

Read more on Ideas and techniques on grilling.

Apart from the grilled recipes those who like their pork baked can try these great baked pork chop recipes. Remember that to make the grilled pork chops juicy and succulent, it takes a certain amount of patience and skill. The trick is to sear the outside while slow roasting it from the inside. Once you have mastered the technique of grilling pork chops on the grill the right way, it is easy to prepare them at home and enjoy the succulent treat.