Grilled Bone-In Pork Chops with Garlic Butter

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This post is sponsored by Twin Eagles Grills, a year long partner of Heartbeet Kitchen. We have their 36 inch grill top with infrared rotisserie, on a portable base. Their meticulously engineered grills are as beautiful as they are high performance.

Mark this as the summer I changed my mind about grilled pork chops! As I discovered just a few simple tricks that lead to juicy, tender pork without a lot of fuss.

Plus a golden, caramelized garlic butter that you make on the grill right next to the pork chops! Which is then drizzled over them as they rest, infusing them with such great flavor.

You won’t need an overnight marinade, liquid brine, or fancy ingredients. It’s all about selecting the right cut of pork, an easy dry rub (that acts as a brine), and using your grill to your advantage.

Which is better for grilling, thick-cut or regular pork chops?

I tested both thick-cut and regular cut pork chops on the grill, and the thick-cut were the clear winner. When you see the thick-cut chops in the meat case, at about 1 1/2 inches tall, you’ll think they look too thick. But the thickness is perfect for grilling because they cook at a gentler pace, whereas regular pork chops cook incredibly fast and are very easy to overcook on the grill, leaving them irreversibly dry and tough.

Using a Dry Brine For Juicy, Grilled Pork Chops:

Because pork chops are fairly lean, brining is helpful for tenderizing and evenly seasoning the meat. To make things easy, I use a dry brine rather than a liquid brine (which can be messy).

My dry brine is simply salt and pepper, rubbed evenly into both sides of the pork chops! Once seasoned, the pork chops go into the refrigerator, uncovered, for 2 to 24 hours. This is where the brining magic happens.

The salt draws out the meat juices through osmosis, of which then dissolves the salt, basically turning into a “natural” brine even though there isn’t any liquid added. This brine is reabsorbed into the meat, breaking down tough muscle proteins to help achieve pork chop perfection.

How to make bone-in pork chops on a gas grill:

For fabulous results, you’ll use both indirect and direct heat for grilling bone-in pork chops on your gas grill. With my Twin Eagles 36 inch grill, the zone dividers make it very easy to regulate different temperatures on the grill for instances like these.

1. You’ll preheat one side of the grill to medium-high, with the lid closed, so the temperature of the grill is holding steady at 375-400 degrees F.
2. You’ll do the 1st sear of the pork chops, for 2 minutes on each side, over medium high heat. Then you’ll move them to one side of the grill, where the burner is off. You’ll close the lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes with indirect heat, until the temperature of the pork chops is around 120 degrees F.
3. Finish the pork chops with a final sear on both sides over the medium high heat flame, until the temperature of the pork chops is 145 degrees F. The hexagonal grates on Twin Eagles grills ensure maximum food-to-surface contact for the best sear! You’ll also make the delicious garlic butter in a cast iron skillet at this time, right next to the pork chops.
4. Lastly, pull them off the grill and let rest for 5 minutes to let the juices distribute throughout.

How long to grill bone-in pork chops:

Grill time for bone-in pork chops will vary depending on thickness, so it’s better to asses by temperature than time. When testing this recipe, I used thick cut pork chops that were about 1 1/2 inches thick, and it took about 15 minutes over the indirect heat for them to reach 120 degrees F, which I then finished with the sear over medium high heat, another 5 minutes total.

What is the safe temperature to cook pork to?

Pork today is very lean, making it important to not overcook and follow the recommended pork cooking temperature. The safe internal pork cooking temperature for fresh cuts is 145° F. It’s so important to use a digital thermometer to assess the temperature, and avoid overcooking.

Fresh cut muscle meats such as pork chops, pork roasts, pork loin, and tenderloin should measure 145° F, ensuring the maximum amount of flavor. After a five-minute rest, the juices will redistribute and the temperature will rise to 150° to 155°F, giving you chops that are faintly pink and succulently juicy.

More Grilling Recipes:

• No-Fuss Rotisserie Chicken on the Grill
• Simple Grilled Romaine Lettuce Salad
• Awesome Grilled Onions with Pesto

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Grilled Bone-In Pork Chops with Garlic Butter

These grilled bone-in pork chops are perfectly tender and juicy, finished with a delicious garlic butter that you make on the grill too! Use thick cut pork chops for best results, as they are more forgiving and won't dry out.

5 from 10 votes

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Prep Time :5 minutes minutes

Cook Time :25 minutes minutes

Resting Time :2 hours hours

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Amanda Paa

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons kosher salt*, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided
• 2 thick cut, bone in pork chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick (weighing about 9-10 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• fresh parsley, minced

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Equipment

• Digital Meat Thermometer

Instructions 

• Pat pork chops dry with paper towel. Rub 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper into each pork chops, getting the seasoning into both sides. Lay pork chops on a wire rack inside a sheet pan and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
• When ready to make, preheat one side of the grill to medium-high, with the lid closed, so the temperature of the grill is holding steady at 375-400 degrees F.
• You'll do the 1st sear of the pork chops, for 2 minutes on each side, over medium high heat. Then you'll move them to one side of the grill, where the burner is off. You'll close the lid, and cook with indirect heat until the temperature of the pork chops is about 120 degrees F using a digital meat thermometer. Start checking at 10 minutes.
• When the internal temp is 120 degrees F, finish the pork chops with a final sear on both sides over the medium high heat flame, until the temperature of the pork chops is 145 degrees F using a digital meat thermometer. DO NOT OVERCOOK OR THE PORK CHOPS MAY BE DRY. Pull them off the grill and let rest for 5 minutes to let the juices distribute throughout.
• While the pork chops are resting, put a cast iron skillet on the grill over medium heat. Add butter and let melt, then add garlic and handful of minced parsley. Let saute for a few minutes, until fragrant. (You could also do this while the pork chops are searing.) Drizzle garlic butter over rested pork chops and enjoy!

Notes

• I use Diamond Kosher Salt; if you are using Morton’s Kosher salt, REDUCE SALT TO 1 TEASPOON PER CHOP. Morton’s Kosher salt is a much finer grind and is saltier in nature than Diamond.