Many people like to grill pork chops, but a few common pitfalls might mean you end up
with sad, dry chops. But that's no reason to give up. Here's how to avoid common grilled
pork chop mistakes
That rosy, bone-in, mouthwatering pork chop might be appealing to the eye, but it is actually
not the best cut for the grill. Cooking instructor Viola Buitoni told Mashed,
"The light pink color betrays very lean muscle meat."
But what about that lovely bit of fat at the top of the cut? Won't that save things? Not
really. Turns out that fat cap all around will melt away and not into the muscle tissue.
Buitoni went on to add:
"Unless you really like the sweet [...] charred fat, leave those chops for pan-frying and
look for darker cuts. Darker pork meat points to the presence of interstitial fat that will
trickle and remain in the muscle tissue when it melts."
There's always the question, with any meat, whether a dry or wet rub is best when grilling.
Will a certain rub properly hydrate or season the meat? Or will it just leak out or even
cause the meat to stick to the grill? In the case of pork, it's absolutely best to lean
toward dry. Palak Patel, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education, told Mashed,
"Pork that comes out of a package and seasoned releases moisture that prevents the meat from
searing and getting golden brown grill marks."
However, it's important that the pork is seasoned. We don't want to miss out on flavor, after
all, so you don't want to skip this step. What then, is the best course of action to
achieve grilled pork chop greatness? Patel suggests that you do a dry brine by sprinkling
the pork chop with salt and letting the meat rest for an hour. Then, she says,
"Dab off the excess moisture with a paper towel and season lightly with salt again and
pepper right before grilling."
At that point, your meat is ready for the grill — and to get that beautiful crisp
sear we all crave!
One big mistake when grilling pork is trimming off all of the fat on the pork chops. Assuming
that you love flavor, you should definitely keep some of the fat on your meat! Remember
that this fat lends some seriously delicious flavor, assuming you've already followed instructor
Viola Buitoni's advice and gotten a dark piece of pork chop with more fat in it.
So, while you should trim away the excess fat, be careful not to take away all of it,
at least not if you want that meat to have flavor and taste. And, seriously, who doesn't
want that? Maille mustard sommelier , Chef Brandon Collins, told Mashed,
"This is also a reason to cook your chop on an indirect fire: so the fat does not drip
onto the flame and carbonize, before floating back up onto the meat."
Pork chops naturally have a small amount of intermuscular fat, says Collins, so leaving
the cap on really helps from a flavor standpoint and is well worth it. It will also lead to
a way more flavorful pork chop at the end. And that means a tastier dinner!
"Hi Alice, what's for dinner?"
"Pork chops."
"Pork chops, huh? What else?"
Waiting to season until after you've finished grilling a pork chop could be a mistake that
leads to a sad, tasteless piece of meat. In reality, pork chops should be seasoned with
salt before grilling — at least an hour before, according to Patel. Many home cooks
are still conditioned by the childhood kitchen adage that meat shouldn't be salted before
cooking, as the old story maintains that salt will extract the meat's juices and make for
tough, chewy bites.
Salt does indeed draw out moisture, which is why it's often used as a preservative,
like for some cured meats. But the quantity of salt you'll use here, plus the relatively
short time the meat will sit with the salt on it, makes a big difference. Viola Buitoni
told Mashed,
"[T]hat moisture [coming from the pork chop] melts the surface salt and helps it trickle
back into the tissue. Not only are proteins broken down, but the flavor will be deeper
and longer-lasting."
So, salt well in advance, and be prepared. Buitoni went on to add:
"Indeed if I plan to grill pork chops. I salt everything the evening before and leave [it]
loosely covered on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. I have come to think of it as
a dry brine."
Given that you've now gotten this advice from two professional chefs, you know it's serious.
Pre-salting that pork chop makes a big difference.
Pork chops, like most other meat, benefit from getting close to room temperature before
hitting the grill. So while it may seem easier to throw the meat in the fridge, then simply
grab it when the grill gets started, that's just not a good way to go. Plainly put, if
you start with a very cold piece of meat, it will take longer to heat. This creates
the potential for overcooking those pork chops. Buitoni also said that you should let your
meat come to room temperature before putting it on the grill.
It will help in your goal to grill your pork chops just the bare time needed to reach the
right internal temperature. And remember, you don't want to grill wet pork chops. Buitoni
told Mashed,
"Pat them dry before resting them on the grill as surface moisture is another element to
lengthen cooking."
When grilling pork chops, quite a few people cut into the pork to tell how cooked it is.
Yet, that can be a pretty significant mistake, especially if you're making a large cut that
exposes a lot of the interior of the pork chop. As Jessica Randhawa, the head chef,
recipe creator, photographer, and writer behind The Forked Spoon told Mashed,
"Cutting into meat allows moisture loss, resulting in dry meat."
Also, trying to estimate whether or not a chop is fully cooked just by using your eyes
is often inaccurate. This attempt could lead to undercooked meat and even potential foodborne
illness. So, don't just trust your eyes: use a meat thermometer. Randhawa added:
"Using a digital thermometer is easily the most accurate way to know how well pork is
cooked scientifically."
The USDA recommends using a thermometer to check the internal temperature of pork to
be at least 145°F, and the pork should be allowed to rest for at least three minutes.
Randhawa told Mashed,
"I always have a digital thermometer handy for all my cooking, especially meats, to ensure
that the internal temperature is perfect for the recipe I am making."
Another way to prevent your pork from becoming dry and tasteless, even if you feel the need
to cook it all the way through, is by brining it in a salt solution beforehand. Making a
brine is quite simple. Dylan Benoit, chef and owner of Carnivore Premium Meats and Prime
Kitchen, told Mashed,
"For every liter of water add 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/8 cup brown sugar and whatever
aromatics you desire [...] and bring to a boil."
Benoit went on to add:
"Remove from the heat and allow to cool fully before submerging your pork chops in the brine
for 4-24 hours, depending on thickness. Remove from brine, rinse in fresh water, and pat
dry before cooking."
At Benoit's butcher shop, they brine their pork chops for 48 hours and then cold smoke
them for 2 hours, creating what they like to call "bacon chops." Benoit said,
"Essentially it's bacon on the bone that cooks like a regular pork chop and is moist, smokey,
and perfectly seasoned."
And, yes, you really should add sugar to the brine, which helps with browning and contributes
to the flavor.
"Pork chop!"
No one likes a dried-out, tough pork chop, but it's easy to overcook by accident. But
there's a bit of hope, at least if you're planning to play by the rules. Chef Palak
Patel told Mashed
"In 2011, the USDA changed the recommended cooking temperature of pork to 145º F with
a three-minute rest."
That's a 15º F drop from the old 160º F cook temperature. Chef Patel went on to add:
"Just remember, resting can enable a pork chop to continue cooking [...] Be sure to
remove the pork chop from the grill just before the internal temperature reaches 145º F."
To keep moisture from escaping, try getting a quick hot sear on each side and then finishing
the pork chop on the cooler side of the grill. Once you realize that all pork chops cook
the same and only their thickness determines the cooking time, you'll become a pork chop
master.
As with many other cuts of meat, you should always let your precious pork chop rest for
a while after cooking. This is a pretty important rule to remember, as this allows the contracted
meat to relax and to stop pushing out all of the juices. So let it rest and don't touch
it, and absolutely don't break off a bite to taste. Leave it alone — seriously! Chef
Brandon Collins told Mashed,
"Letting your pork chops rest after grilling ensures that the proteins have time to relax,
so when you cut into the chop the juices won't escape."
Chef Patel had this to add:
"Resting pork after grilling is a must [...] When the pork is removed from the grill, cover
with foil and leave for 10 minutes to allow for carryover cooking."
Resting allows the meat to evenly distribute the juices and helps to keep the pork moist.
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