This recipe for Perfectly Grilled Pork Chops appeared first on the blog four years ago. It deserved an upgrade with new photos and text. With this marinade and simple set of tips you’ll achieve perfectly grilled pork chops all summer long.
I grill a lot of pork so I’m pretty confident in giving advice on how to get perfectly grilled pork chops. A humble dinner fork is used to poke holes in the meat to help tenderize the pork for the grill. A citrusy marinade continues the process of ensuring tasty and tender pork chops. And a digital meat thermometer makes sure the chops aren’t over-cooked.
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A long time ago pork was raised differently and pork needed to be essentially over-cooked to ensure safety. That’s not true now, thankfully. The pork industry is so well-regulated that the meat is safe to eat when cooked like a steak. The Ohio Pork Council says, “properly cooked pork is cooked to 145° F, removed from the heat and allowed to rest for three minutes before slicing. Cooking to 145° will result in tender, juicy pork that will have a blush of pink in the center.”
Pork chops are economical too. Really beautiful, thick-cut pork chops are a fraction of the cost of a premium steak. I love steak on the grill too, don’t get me wrong. But pork is a great option when you’re really trying to stay within a budget at the grocery store. In the summertime, add some sliced tomatoes and corn on the cob along side these perfectly grilled pork chops and you have a simple and most definitely delicious meal.
Tips for Perfectly Grilled Pork Chops:
- Poke the chops thoroughly with a fork before marinating
- The longer you can marinate the pork chops before grilling, the more flavorful the chops will be
- Use an instant read digital thermometer like this one to accurately grill the pork
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Perfectly Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 8 oz each pork chops
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients, lemon juice through black pepper. Poke each boneless pork chop generously with a fork. Place the pork and the marinade in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least two hours. Make sure to massage the marinade in the bag so each chop is well coated.
- Preheat grill to high and scrape clean. Turn all burners to low and allow to run for at least 10 minutes so the grill comes down to temperature.
- Place the pork chops on the grill and close the lid. Allow to grill on the first side undisturbed for 5 minutes (3/4-inch thick) to 8 minutes (1 1/2-inch thick).
- Turn chops over and continue to grill until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
- Remove pork chops to a clean plate or cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Jacqueline DiNuoscio says
Pork chops are one of my favorite weeknight meals! These ones look delicious. I can’t wait for grilling season!
foodtasticmom says
Me too! Seems like grilling season might finally be close here in Cincy!
Jwc3c says
You have a grilling season? I have been known to grill when it is around 20 degrees or even in the rain.a little cold isnt gonna stop me.
Claire says
Pork chops were on special in Safeway today!!! I know what I am going to do with them.
These just look perfect and I love the fork trick!
foodtasticmom says
Awesome! Come back and let us know what you think!
Haley D Williams says
Those do looks like they are perfectly grilled!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks 🙂
Camila says
Love the grill marks! Beautiful! These chops look perfect!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much Camila!
Marie says
Love the grill marks! Great tips too. For some reason, I’ve never thought to poke the pork chops before marinating. I need to try that next time. Saving for later!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Marie!
Amy says
Looks good. Happy to start grilling again!
foodtasticmom says
Grilling season is the best. Thank you Amy!
Jen says
I have pork chops in the fridge. Can’t wait to try this. Perfect timing.
foodtasticmom says
Yay, so glad when that happens. Thanks Jen 🙂
Carolyn moseley says
Pork…my favorite. This is a great recipe. Will definitely save and use!
foodtasticmom says
My favorite too! Thank you Carolyn!
Heather Johnson says
Sounds good to me!!!! I’ll have to make it this summer!
foodtasticmom says
Yes, you absolutely do need to make these chops – put them on repeat 🙂
Natalie says
I love pork chops! Looks so tempting and delicious! Such a great idea for BBQ!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Natalie!
Brian Jones says
I love cooking with pork, so glad to see the advice of not overcooking pork gaining more traction. I hear so often people complain that their pork chops are dry yet the advice to buy a meat thermometer and cook it less are never heeeded!
foodtasticmom says
I’m glad you are “in the know” about pork. You’re right, people are still I think a little fearful to undercook (in their mind) pork. But it’s so much better if cooked properly!
Veena Azmanov says
What a delicious Perfectly Grilled Pork Chops! I simply cannot wait to try it! Very interesting combination of ingredients. I am saving this recipe for later.
foodtasticmom says
I hope you like the pork chops Veena. Come back and let us know what you think
Priya says
yummy! Its perfectly grilled and love the flavors in it! I’m surely going to try it out over this weekend.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much Priya!
Kim Quinn says
The only difference I would suggest is to always remove your pork when the temp reaches 140F and tent with foil. Chops will continue to cook for a few minutes as they rest and hit close to 145F. Will be juicy and perfect.
If you cook on the grill or in the oven UNTIL 145F by the time it its done resting and the juices have relaxed back into the meat, you will have and white cindex block with grill marks…😝 A pig gave his life so you can taste divinity.
Remove and 140F, Enjoy 140F min later. Perfection.
Kim Quinn says
I meant remove at 140F and eat at 145F. Sorry. No edit button and cataract’s. Also, meant cindeR block.
foodtasticmom says
Yep, totally got it. And really, I know it should have said remove at 140. I have so many recipes to keep track of. I sometimes make mistakes in typing and editing!
foodtasticmom says
You know what, you’re right. It was a typo – the temp rises as they rest. I’ve been typing too much lately, LOL. I made the correction. And I love your comment “the pig gave his life so you can taste divinity.” 🙂 SO TRUE
Angie says
Thank you! I used to notoriously over cook porkchops. This is an amazing recipe, it turned out so well!
foodtasticmom says
So happy to hear this Angie! Thank you for the positive rating and comment 🙂
Jane Lankford says
Looks delicious! We’re having pork chops tonight!
foodtasticmom says
Awesome. Thanks Jane. I want to see those babies of yours soon 🙂
Erin says
Sounds delicious!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Erin!
Dale Schneider says
This is a great recipe; can’t wait to try it. The info on cooking time & temp is invaluable
foodtasticmom says
I hope you like it. Thanks so much Dale!
Susan Mahaney says
I tend to overlook meat. Good to know I don’t have to do that with pork for safety reasons. This looks yummy!
Susan Mahaney
foodtasticmom says
The main message my pork farmer friends want people to know is you don’t have to overcook your pork. I used to overcook it too before I was enlightened 🙂 Thanks Susan!
Bill says
What temperature is high? For more context what temperature should the grill be?
foodtasticmom says
So I always turn my grill to high and let it get as hot as possible (for mine that is about 700 F according to the grill thermometer) and then scrape the grates clean. When I turn one side to low and the other side off (and closing the lid as I’m grilling) I’m usually grilling at about 400 degrees F. I’m assuming the thermometer on my grill is still accurate 🙂 Hope that helps!
Meggen Kramer says
Most of these comments are from last year, so I hope someone can get back to me. Followed your cooking instructions with my favorite brown sugar burbon rub and marinated overnight in a small amount of olive oil. They were amzing! I normally use thin porkchops that are higher fat contact bc they are most tender, but I would love to know if using a thick cut of meat would still turn out the same result in tenderness with these directions.
foodtasticmom says
I usually use a thicker cut. Leaner pork is not quite as tender but the key is cooking it to the right temperature. 145 and a 3 minute rest will yield the juiciest pork possible. But a leaner cut just isn’t going to be quite as tender – but it will still be good! Hope that helps. I’m glad your first go at this recipe was a success!