Kick those grilled pork chops up a couple of notches with this amazing apricot glaze. Let's take boring out of the pork chop with this simple dinner recipe.
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I love a nice grilled pork chop. But pork can lack a little in taste, so a fruity glaze is a great change of pace.
I like to grill use a 1-inch slice of center-cut pork loin as my chops. But with this recipe, you can use standard bone-in chops, also. Or even use it on grilled boneless pork ribs.
I decided to use a simple brine to moisturize the loin before hitting the flames. I would normally use some brown sugar in brine for pork, but here I was, adding enough sweetness later.
Serve with grilled side dishes, like Corn on the Cob, Grilled Potato Slices, and Grilled Mixed Vegetables.
While this is a great-tasting recipe, if it is now quite what you need on the grill, check out Grilled Pork Chops on a Gas Grill. If you need an inside recipe, check out these great recipes, Pan Seared Oven Roasted Pork Chops or Breaded Pork Chops.
🐖Ingredients
- Pork chops—boneless or bone-in, one inch thick
- Brine—water and salt
- Glaze—apricot jam, balsamic vinegar. olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
👨🍳How to Make Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
- Brine if you have time and mix glaze
- Rinse brine from pork, trim fat, brush with glaze. Lightly pepppr and a little salt if you did not brine.
- Grill over medium heat, flipping ever 5 minutes and brushing with more glaze.
- Cook until an internal temperature of 140°-145°. About 15-20 minutes. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
⏰How long to cook pork chops
Grilling time is mostly thickness-related. A ¾ inch thick chop may only be about 10 minutes. A 1-inch thick chop is more like 12-14 minutes, and a 1 ½ inch may take up to 20 minutes.
I like to cook pork chops to 145°-150°. My wife does not like any pink pork, so I tend to go even a little higher to 155°. The FDA recommends 145° minimum with a 3-minute rest.
A bone-in chop may take a bit longer than a boneless one. Also, the starting temp of the chop and the exact grill temperature will have large effects. As always,
COOK TO THE FINAL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE AND NEVER BY TIME ALONG.
The Glaze and Options
This recipe uses apricot jam, but you can use a different flavor. Jam usually has a lot more sugar than preserves. If you use preserves, add some brown sugar to the glaze.
♨️About the Grill
The grill should be 450°-500° surface temperature. That is usually a bit above medium on most gas grills. If you have questions about grill setup, see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
This should work fine on a charcoal grill as well as a gas grill. Just get the heat down a little from the maximum.
🐖About Pork Chops
Pork chop choices can be a bit confusing. I have listed five types of chops, but only the middle three should be considered "real" chops and will all cook the same. The other two "chops", the shoulder and the sirloin chop, do not cook the same and, to me, should be avoided.
Bone-in or boneless chops are both good. So people think bone-in will be moister and taste better. I don't feel there is a significant difference. But bone-in does take a bit longer to cook.
FAQs
Brine is used to add moisture to many types of meat. While brining is optional, it is highly recommended for grilled pork chops.
A standard pork brine is 2 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of table salt. 1 teaspoon table salt = 1 ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Most will add some sugar to the brine at about the same amount as the salt. Other flavors, like garlic can be added.
Be sure to rinse the meat under running water after the brine. And never add seasoning with more salt if the meat has been brined.
You can skip the brine for speed, but it does add some moisture and avoids that "dry pork" thing that is easy to get. But if you grill carefully and don't overcook or use too high of a temperature, you can still get moist results.
There is usually a layer of fat on the edge of a chop. You can trim it if you want, but many think it adds some flavor and helps prevent drying.
I do suggest if it is over ¼ inch, then trim it to ¼ inch thick. Also, it should be scored every inch to prevent cupping.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Only a few ingredients. My wife likes garlic in the brine. It is not in the recipe, but add ½ teaspoon to the brine if you want to try it.
Start with a brine of two cups cold water and one tablespoon salt. Add pork chops and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Preheat grill to a surface temperature of 450°. Clean and oil well. Mix glaze of two tablespoon apricot jam, one teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar, and one teaspoon olive oil.
Remove pork from brine, rinse under running water, and pat dry. Give them a light sprinkle of pepper, then brush lightly with the glaze if you skipped the brine, a bit of salt, also.
Place over direct heat for five minutes, then flip. Flip again in 5 minutes and brush with glaze. Continue to flip every 5 minutes and brush with glaze until an internal temperature of 140°-145° about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from grill, tent lightly with foil, and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe
Grilled Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 pork chops - one inch thick
Brine
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoons salt
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Start with a brine of 2 cups cold water and one tablespoon salt. You can add other things to the brine if you want. Add pork chops and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat grill to a surface temperature of 450°. Just above medium usually. Clean and oil well.
- Mix glaze of two tablespoons apricot jam, one teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar, and one teaspoon olive oil.
- Remove pork from brine, rinse under running water, and pat dry. Give them a light sprinkle of pepper, then brush lightly with the glaze. Also, a sprinkle of salt if you skipped the brine.
- Place over direct heat for 5 minutes, then flip and brush with glaze. Flip again in 5 minutes and brush with glaze. Continue to flip every 5 minutes and brush with glaze until internal temperature of 140°-145°. About 15-20 minutes. 18 for me.
- Remove from grill, tent lightly with foil, and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A brine will add moisture but is optional. You can have good results without it if you don’t overcook and don’t have your grill too hot.
- I prefer a pork chop that is about 1-inch thick. Either bone-in or boneless is fine. Bone-in may take a few minutes more to cook.
- If there is a rim of fat around the chop, trim it down to about ½ inch thick and score it all the way through about every inch.
- Cook to 145°-150° internal temperature.
- If you use preserves instead of jam, you will want to add a bit of brown sugar to the glaze.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published July 18, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Erin J
Great and very easy glaze recipe. Thank you!
Chris
I like how simple yet flavorful this glaze is. Way to kick up your chops!