Grilled Boneless Pork Chops

My grilled boneless pork chops is so moist and juicy. Using our quick and easy 60-minute recipe and a good grilling technique, you'll have perfect sear and tender results every time.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword grilled pork recipes, pork chop recipes

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 16

Marinating Time 30

Total Time 1 46

Servings servings

Calories 382kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

4 pork chops bone-in or boneless, about 1 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make Marinade

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper.
Add the pork chops to a large Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal the bag and massage them gently to ensure the flavorful marinade touches all sides.
Place the sealed bag in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours). If you're short on time, 5 minutes will still help a little but won't give you the best results.

Set Up 2 Zone Grill

For Charcoal: Light a full chimney of charcoal. When the coals are covered in gray ash, pour them onto one side of the grill. Be sure to leave the other side empty for indirect heat. This gives you a hot zone for searing and a cool zone for finishing the cooking process. Put the grill grate back on, cover the grill, and let it preheat for about 5–10 minutes. Remember to clean and oil the grate.
For Gas Grill: Preheat your gas grill with all burners on high for 10-15 minutes. Once preheated, turn off the burners on one side of the grill, leaving the other side on medium-high heat. This creates your hot zone for searing and cool zone for finishing. Clean and oil the grates.

Grill Chops

Remove the pork chops from the marinade and let them come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before grilling. Place the pork chops directly over the hot coals (Hot Side) and sear them for 2–3 minutes per side to get a good sear with nice browning. Move them to the cool side of the grill. Cover the grill with the lid and let them finish cooking for another 6–10 minutes, depending on their thickness. Cook them until they reach a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63ºC) (use an instant-read thermometer for accuracy).

Notes

Sear: The trick to moist pork chops is to properly sear the meat and then watch it closely when it is on the cool side of the grill. Remove the meat from the grill as soon as it reaches 145ºF (63ºC). Tent the chops loosely with foil and let them rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The resting lets the juices redistribute through the chop. Resting is key to a juicy chop, so the juices stay in the meat, not on your plate.
Don’t Overcook The Chops! Well, this sounds rather obvious. That said, it’s the most critical factor in avoiding grilled, dried-out, cardboard-like pork chops. A meat thermometer is the easiest way to get an accurate temperature of your meat. Here’s the one I use from Amazon. I like it because it’s instant and is moderately priced.
Chop Thickness: If you are tempted to buy those thin pork cutlets, please don’t. You want the 1-inch-thick cut and the highest-grade meat for your budget. This will ensure a moist pork chop.
Rest: Don’t skip the resting period.
Marinating: While 30 minutes is a good starting point, pork chops benefit from a longer marination period. Aim for at least 1-2 hours for optimal flavor and texture, but don’t exceed 4 hours.
- Minimum Marinade Time: 30 minutes. This allows the marinade to tenderize the meat lightly, and the flavors begin to penetrate, providing a subtle taste.
- My Favorite Amount of Time: I shoot for a minimum of 2 hours of marinating time.
- Maximum Marinade Time: 4 hours. Marinating for longer than this can lead to a mushy texture due to the acids in the marinade, especially when using vinegar or citrus juice.
- Puncture or Score the Meat: Lightly scoring or poking holes in the pork chops can help the marinade penetrate deeper into the meat. This is especially important if you’re short on time and plan on a 30-minute marinade.
- Use a Vacuum-Sealed Bag: If you have a vacuum sealer, using it can help the marinade penetrate the meat more effectively compared to just a Ziplock bag.

Nutrition