Name: Grilled Pork Chops That Aren't Dry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 1-inch thick boneless pork chops (8 oz each); Salt, pepper and granulated garlic

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Today I’m eating tender, juicy grilled pork chops on the Big Green Egg.

Pork chops don’t have to be dry, and i’ve found two keys to a perfect pork chop on the grill:

Prepare the Grilled Pork Chops

The first is to set your grill up for a lower cooking temperature. I’ve found 300 degrees is the sweet spot. Pork tends to seize up when it hits a super hot grill, so keeping the temperature a little lower helps keep the meat tender.

The second thing I’ve learned is to pull the chops at 135 degrees internal temperature. The lower temperature ensures that the carry over cooking won’t dry out and overcook your chops.

Today, I have four 1-inch thick chops i’m seasoning simply with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. No more. No less.

The Cook

Once the grill is up to 300, put the chops on, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Next, turn the chops 90 degrees for great grill marks and cook for another 5 minutes. Yes, that’s 10 minutes on the first side, which sounds like a lot, but at this lower temperature and because these are thick chops, they will not overcook. If you have thinner pork chops, turn them at 2 ½ minutes and flip at 5 minutes.

After 10 total minutes, flip the chops and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Now you can start checking the internal temperature. They may need an additional 5 minutes to finish.

Pull the chops when they reach 135-140 degrees. Any more and the carry over cooking will overcook the chops.

The Eat

After a five-minute rest, the chops will be tender, flavorful and most importantly juicy.

Slice them thin and serve over sauteed spinach. I also made a quick herb gremalata with olive oil, choppy rosemary, sage and thyme to spoon over top of the chops.

Dig in and enjoy.