Grilled Pork Chops

Had your fair share of overcooked, dry pork chops? Trust us—it doesn’t have to be that way. We’ve mastered the secret to juicy, tender pork chops with this honey-soy grilled recipe. Our marinade may be simple, but works wonders in packing in the flavor and making our pork chops extra tender. Complete with all of our top tips on grilling to perfection, this recipe might just make pork chops your go-to summer dinner. 

The secret to grilling pork chops (without drying them out).
We’ve got two top tips: marinating your pork chops, and making sure you aren’t overcooking. Let’s start with the latter: The best way to ensure you aren't overcooking your pork chops is to use a meat thermometer. Pork chops should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°; there shouldn’t be any pink left when you cut into it! To guarantee your pork chop doesn’t come out dry, we suggest pulling the meat off the grill at 140° and letting it rest. The meat will continue to carry-over cook, and after a few minutes will reach 145°. 

The marinade.
A good marinade will make all the difference in pork chops. Our top tip? Don’t skip including an acid in your marinade! It not only packs in the flavor, but helps the meat. We use soy sauce in this recipe, but you could use some Dijon mustard and lemon juice, cilantro, olive oil, and lime juice, or balsamic and honey. We suggest marinating your pork chops for at least 30 minutes, but you can go up to 2 hours. 

How long should I cook my pork chops?
We recommend a cook time of 8 minutes per side, but to guarantee perfection, check the temperature—each grill and pork chop is different. When buying your chops, we suggest going for ones that are about 1" thick and boneless center cut, but if you prefer bone-in, those work well too.

If you have extra-thick pork chops and feel they aren't cooking through, create a cool zone to keep the outside from getting too charred. Keep one burner on medium heat and turn the second burner off. Move the pork chops to the off burner and keep the lid of the grill closed. Depending on how close your pork chops were to 145°, check on them after 5 to 10 minutes to make sure you aren’t overcooking. 

Have you tried these? Let us know how it went in the comments below!