Imagine a delicious, tender, juicy with a sweet aroma grilled pork chop placed right in front of you. Wondering how to prepare it perfectly? Grilling a pork chop is the same with grilling a steak. There are classified methods and standard tips to learn the best way to prepare pork chops that taste amazing.
Choose the chops
When grilling, the pork chop needs to be thick.
Pigs were fatter 5 decades ago. Now, their weight is still the same yet they became lean. Hogs have become even leaner. The layers of fat do not only give flavor, but it also provides insulation for the pigs.
Today’s pigs are bred to grow fast, lean and big. It is a disadvantage for us consumers since lean meat can be easily overcooked although it has less fat.
A classified tip is to buy a thick chop for a perfect grilled pork chop. They are now labeled with rib chop, sirloin chop, loin chop, boneless chop, and shoulder chop. The best part for grilling is the rib chop.
Pork Chop Brining
You possibly have brined a turkey or chicken, but do you know pork can be brined too? When you brine a meat, it helps the breakdown of the thick muscles and provides moisture when being grilled.
Two pints of water, ¾ cup of salt and ¾ cup of brown sugar makes the ingredients for pork brine. You can add flavor to the pork chops by mixing spices, chopped onion or garlic and a dash of brandy or molasses.
For the instructions of brine pork, put all of the ingredients in a pot. For five minutes, make it simmer and then switch the heat to cool. Make the temperature of the brine reach up to 45 degrees by adding a cup of ice. Place the meat and brine inside a plastic bag, shake, then rest the bag into a bowl. Refrigerate the brine and meat for 2 to 3 hours.
Prepare the Pork Chop
After removing the meat from the brine, dry the meat with paper towel. Season the meat with pepper and salt, use a good dry rub.
Grill the Pork Chop!
Place the pork chop on the hotter area of the grill for 3 minutes on each side of the meat, transfer the meat to the cooler area of the grill for 3 minutes on each side of the meat. When transferring the meat, cover it with a disposable aluminum pan or foil.
At 145 degrees to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, the pork chop will be grilled. It is advisable to remove the meat at the internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit since the foil or pan that covers the meat continues heating it. Removing the meat at 135 degrees Fahrenheit results to a medium rare cook if you remove the meat at 140 degrees Fahrenheit results a medium well cook. After 5 minutes of removal, verify the temperature of the meat, make sure it reached the minimum degree Fahrenheit.
Top Secret Tips for Grilled Pork Chop
- Do not use all of the brine, when the meat is transferred to the cooler area of the grill, brush a sugary, salt brine on the meat for a darker pork chop.
- Place the meat on the grill at a right angle, it gives a crisscross marks.
- To check the meat temperature, place the meat thermometer from the side. Be cautious not to put the thermometer on the bone.
- Be cautious with dripping fat, this can cause flare ups.
Finishing Touches
Unlike with chicken, where even hard work can result in a somewhat flavorless end product, a brined, well-seasoned, and properly grilled pork chop can be truly fantastic on its own—the meat is incredibly moist, the crust full of flavor. Still, it doesn’t hurt to add a little something extra.
One of my favorite things is to use a complex barbecue spice rub in place of pepper alone as the seasoning. These chili-rubbed chops deliver on this method very well. Another option is topping with a finishing sauce, like a corn relish or peach and ginger sauce. Finally, the thickness of the chops makes them a great choice for stuffing.
Versatile and delicious, pork chops are just crying out for the grill, and, with your new chop know-how, you should be able to churn out perfect pork, time and time again.