Who doesn’t like a sizzling pork chop hot off the grill? I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. Grilled pork is important for your mental and physical health, as well as a generally positive outlook on life as far as I’m concerned. So, it makes sense to know how to cook pork chops on any grill and especially if you have a pellet smoker grill.
For this grilling adventure, I plan to smoke a pair of thin-cut chops for about 30 – 40 minutes on a low-smoke temperature, then finish them off with a direct flame broil on my Pit Boss Austin XL. The Pit Boss 820 Deluxe is another, very similar pellet smoker grill. Watch the video below to see how things went.
Cooking pork chops on a pellet grill is simple and similar to cooking steaks on a pellet grill, but you do need to be paying attention. Be sure to season your meat first, then place the meat on the hot grill for a few minutes per side according to how done you like your meat. The internal temperature of your pork chops should be in the 140 to 150-degree range.
Pick Out Good Pork Chops to Grill; Fat = Flavor
I recently picked up some thick center-cut pork chops that I thought were nicely marbled. I was wrong. They weren’t that marbled and unfortunately, I misunderstood the internal temperatures for pork. It’s not 165 degrees, it’s 145 degrees! Ouch! Those pork chops were a little tough and tasted like disappointment. I’m more prepared today with fattier chops and a better grilling plan. But, they’re thinner too, so my margin of error will be more narrow.
Prepare Your Pork Chops With Rubs and Seasonings
Even if it’s just salt and pepper, I recommend seasoning your pork at least a few hours before they hit the grill. I usually season the meat the day before and let it rest in the fridge overnight. I decided to use Weber Dry Smoking Rub. It’s a good general rub for all kinds of meats. I like a variety of rubs so pick out your favorite and run with it.
Pork Chop Internal Temperatures
We don’t have the same health hazards with pork today that they had years ago. Better breeding, care and feeding have reduced the risks of trichinosis so the USDA, that used to recommended temperatures of at least 160 degrees, dropped it down to 145 degrees. This makes for a more tender and juicy pork chop. Slightly pink in the middle is A-Ok. Everybody wins!
Can You Sear Pork Chops On A Pellet Grill?
Yes, you can sear meat on a pellet grill and I plan to do that today. Both the Pit Boss Austin XL and the 820 Deluxe have direct flame broiler option which is still fairly unique in the pellet grill industry. Only a few manufacturers offer this option. It accomplishes this with a slide plate on the drip cover directly above the firebox. When I want a direct flame, I slide the plate over to the right or left to reveal the section of the drip cover with cuts in it. The flames shoot up through those cuts in the metal. IT IS AN EXTRA HOT FLAME! The fan near the firebox makes those flames super hot. 30-seconds too long can scorch your meat to a crisp. I discovered this recently with a $25 tomahawk steak. Ouch! Fortunately, it was 2-3 inches thick so we had some excellent meat under the burnt surface area.
Thin-Cut Pork Chops On My Austin XL: The Results
The Weber Dry Smoking Rub was a good seasoning to add to the chops and again, I added that the day before. You can pick up this rub just about anywhere.
The Pit Boss Austin XL grill has three grill grates on it. One grate is smaller than the other two. Before turning it on, I removed one of the larger grates and set it off to the side leaving room to slide the two grates back and forth. I’ll explain why in just a minute.
I smoked the chops for 35 minutes at 180-200 degrees. I checked the internal temperature and it was about 136-140. Then I removed them, cranked the temperature up to 400 and exposed the flame by moving the slider plate over to the right. This is much easier to do with one of the grates removed.
Once the flames were shooting up through the slits in the drip plate, I put one chop on each grate to allow for one chop at a time over the direct flame section in the center of the grill. After 20-seconds, I slid that grate over and moved the other grate with the second chop over the flame to broil. After 20-seconds, I slid it back out of the way, flipped the first chop over, and slid it back over the flame. I repeated the process for the second piece. This worked like a charm! I broiled each chop for about 20-seconds total per side and everything came out fine.
The meat was tender and juicy with a hint of smoke, and I added corn on the cob and an Anaheim chili pepper for sides. Removing a grate and sliding the meat back and forth over the flame worked well. I wish I would have thought of doing that sooner. If I did everything again, I’d pick thicker pork chops. These were good and tasty, but thicker chops would’ve been better.
Pit Boss 820 Deluxe Wood Pellet Grill – 72820The Pit Boss Austin XL or the Pit Boss 820 Deluxe are big, beautiful pellet smoker grills. They’re even better with direct-flame broiling capabilities to put a good sear on your meat. And if you need to, you can remove a grate or two for even more cooking options.
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