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How to Grill Pork Chops on a Gas Grill

Name: How to Grill Pork Chops on a Gas Grill
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 pork chops-boneless or bone-in (one inch thick ); kosher salt (only add if not brining); black pepper (to taste); 2 cups cold water; 1 tablespoon table salt (more of using kosher salt); 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional); 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional); paprika; garlic powder; seasoning salt (if not brining); BBQ Sauce

Mar 8, 2023 · Modified: Apr 26, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 26 Comments

Recipe Table of Contents

4.26 from 99 votes

Get perfect moist and tender Grilled Pork Chops on your gas grill in under 30 minutes. Use boneless or bone-in chops, an optional brine, and season to your taste.

Close up of two grilled pork chops on orange plate.

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👍Why you will love this recipe
🐖Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Grill Pork Chops
⏰How long to grill pork chops
Levels of cooked pork doneness
✔️Tips
🐖About pork chops
❓FAQs
🍴How to serve and store leftovers
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Recipe

Grilled pork chops should be a standard in every grill master's skill set. It is ultra-simple to do right once you understand the few simple steps.

👍Why you will love this recipe

Everybody loves grilled pork chops with a little char and tasty seasoning.
Pork chops are great lean meat that grills quickly, but pork can dry easily. But correctly cooked, and you will enjoy outstanding tender and moist chops.
While already lean, grilling allows more fat to drain away. So, they're healthy and will fit low-caloric and low-fat diets.
Just follow the easy step-by-step photo instructions for perfectly grilled pork chops in 15 minutes.

No grill, no problem. Here are some great inside pork chop recipes, Pan Seared Oven Roasted Pork Chops, Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Gravy, Baked Apple Pork Chops with Vegetables, or Breaded Pork Chops.

🐖Ingredients

Pork chops—boneless or bone-in one inch thick
Salt and black pepper to taste
Optional brine—salt, brown sugar, garlic powder
Optional seasonings—paprika, garlic powder, seasoning salt, BBQ sauce

👨‍🍳How to Grill Pork Chops

Preheat the grill to about 450° surface temperature.
Use boneless or bone-in pork chops about 1 inch thick. Trim fat if thicker than ¼ inch. Brine, if you have time. It is OK to use thinner or thicker, but it will affect cooking times.
Season to your taste.
Grill to an internal temperature of 145°—about 12-14 minutes.
Rest for a few minutes off the heat before serving.

⏰How long to grill pork chops

It takes 12-15 minutes to reach the minimum safe internal temperature of 145° on a 450° grill with a 1-inch thick pork chop. Three variables affecting the cooking time are thickness, the exact grill temperature, and your preferred final internal temperature.

Approximate grilling time by thickness to 145° and on a 450° grill

½ inch thick chops will take 5-6 minutes of grill time—not recommended.
¾ inch thick chops will take 9-11 minutes of grill time.
1-inch thick chops will take 12-14 minutes of grill time.
1 ½ inch thick chops will take up to 20 minutes of grill time.

A bone-in chop may take a bit longer than a boneless. Higher final internal temperatures will only take a few minutes longer. COOK TO THE FINAL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE AND NEVER BY TIME ALONE.

Levels of cooked pork doneness

The FDA recommends a 145° minimum internal temperature with a 3-minute rest for safety.

Cooked Pork Level	Internal Temperature
Rare	Not recommended
Medium-Rare	145°-150°
Medium	150°-155°
Medium-Well	155°-160°
Well Done	160°+ (will dry)

For pork chops, pork loin, and pork tenderloin.

✔️Tips

🐖Pork chop tips

Any pork chop will work, but I prefer a center cut 1 inch thick, bone-in, or boneless. ¾ inch is a little thin and can dry out more.
Chops thicker than 1 ½ may require either reverse searing or part of the time over indirect heat. I usually don't do thicker chops since I consider them too big for a serving.
There is usually a layer of fat on the edge of pork chops. If the fat layer is over ¼ inch, trim it to ¼ inch thick and score every inch to prevent cupping of the pork during cooking.

🧂Brining and seasoning tips

Brine adds moisture. It is optional but recommended, especially if the chops have been previously frozen.
A basic pork brine is 2 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of salt—brown sugar and garlic are commonly added. Brine for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Rinse the brine off under running water and pat dry with paper towels before seasoning more and cooking.
Do not add any seasoning with salt if the chops are brined.
If not brining, just salt and pepper will work, but seasoning salt provides paprika, onion salt, and other herbs. Add some pepper, and that is enough.
A BBQ Dry Rub for Ribs, Brisket, or Pulled Pork also works well.

♨️Grill tips

A grill surface temperature of about 450° is best for grilling pork chops. Too high of grill temperature will overcook the outside before the center is done, drying the pork.
450° surface temperature is usually about medium-high heat burners on most gas grills. If you have more questions about grill setup, see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
A charcoal grill will work fine—just get the heat correct. This usually involves adjusting the vents. Aim for the same temperature range as for gas grills.

🐖About pork chops

A pork chop is from the loin of the hog. It is the same bone as you will find in baby-back ribs if there is a bone. And if there is meat on the other side of the bone, it will be a slice of pork tenderloin.

graphic for pork chop location- licensed from Fotolia May 16,2017. Copyright foxysgraphic - Fotolia. Modified per allow by licensed. — Image licensed from Fotolia May 16, 2017. Copyright foxysgraphic - Fotolia. It was modified per allowed by the license.

Shoulder Chop AKA Blade Chop, Pork Shoulder Steak, Pork Steak (Not a real chop) - Think of it as part pork loin and part pork butt. This chop is hard to cook right, and it is more of a “low and slow” meat like a pork shoulder (butt). I don’t consider it the same class as “real” pork chops; it should not be cooked the same. Avoid this cut unless you know what you are doing.

Rib Chop AKA Pork Rib Chop, Bone-In Ribeye Chop, Rib End Cut - Frequently sold boneless and are the most common boneless chop. Cut from the rib section of the loin. These chops are easily identified by the bone that runs along one side and the one large eye of loin muscle—an excellent real pork chop.

Center Cut Loin Chop AKA Porterhouse Chop, Top Loin Chop, Center-cut Rib Chop - The porterhouse/center cut has both loin and pork tenderloin sections. So it is very similar to the loin chop with a small piece of tenderloin in some versions.

Loin Chop AKA Pork Loin Chop, Pork Loin End Chop, New York Pork Chop - A little further down the loin. None with tenderloin sections, otherwise very much like the center-cut loin chop and excellent for the home cook.

Sirloin Chop AKA Pork Sirloin Chop, Sirloin Steak (Not a real chop) - These "chops" cut from the sirloin end of the loin area may contain tenderloin loin meat and some hip bone. Generally not recommended. Like the shoulder cut, this cut should not be cooked like genuine pork chops.

All "real" pork chops (the middle three) are cooked approximately the same. Some people prefer bone-in, believing it adds some flavor. It may help some with temperature stabilization and prevent overcooking also. Given a choice, go with the bone-in, which I do if not buying in bulk.

❓FAQs

What is the final internal temperature to cook pork chops?

Pork chops should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°-150°. The FDA recommends 145° minimum with a 3-minute rest. Pink will disappear around 155°. You must use a meat thermometer to get this right.

Also, remember the temperature of the chop will climb several degrees after removing it from the grill, so account for that.

How do I make BBQ pork chops?

If you want BBQ, add a light coat of your favorite BBQ sauce with about 5 minutes left in cooking, then a slightly heavier coat in the last few minutes.

How to prevent dry grilled pork chops?

Since chops are very lean and tend to dry very quickly, there are several things to do to prevent drying.
1) Brine, if you have time, especially if previously frozen.
2) Do not cook at a higher than recommended grill temperature.
3) Stop grilling at 140° tent with foil, and the temperature will probably rise to the minimum safe temperature of 145°. If not, you can grill a few more minutes.
4) Don't forget to rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from the heat. This allows fluid to reabsorb into the cells of the meat.

🍴How to serve and store leftovers

Side dishes are always hard to choose. I suggest vegetables like Grilled Mixed Vegetables or Grilled Asparagus make an excellent side dish. We like to have potatoes of some type, like Grilled Baby Potatoes.

The typical cold dishes like potato salad, broccoli salad, macaroni salad, or a fresh garden salad goes with everything grilled.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glazed Grilled Pineapple is a great dessert served with ice cream. Or a simple fruit salad.

What to do with leftovers?

Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days and reheated in a microwave. I love to slice up cold leftovers on a green salad.

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🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Start with the pork chops of your choice, but I suggest 1-inch thick center-cut chops with or without bones.

If you leave a layer of fat on the edge, score it every inch to prevent cupping. I trim it back if it is over ¼ inch.

Optional: Mix brine in a 1-gallon zip lock of 2 cups cold water, 1 tablespoon table salt, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional). Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Salt Note: 1 teaspoon table salt = 1 ¼ teaspoons Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Rinse the pork under running water after removing it from the brine.

When ready to cook, clean the grates and preheat the grill to medium-high temperature (450°-500° surface temperature).

Pat dry and season to taste, usually with seasoning salt and black pepper. Other optional seasonings can be used if desired. But remember not to add any seasoning with salt if you did brine.

Place the pork chops on a well-oiled grill grate and grill with a closed lid for about 4 minutes per side, then flip occasionally, aiming for an internal temperature of 145°-150°—about 12-14 minutes total time, depending on the grill and thickness. If you want BBQ, add a light coat of sauce with about 5 minutes left and again for the last 2 minutes.