Grilled pork chops are one of the easiest summer recipes, and often an under appreciated grilling recipe! Today I’m sharing my most basic, easy grilled pork chop recipe, and it’s perfect for low key summer BBQs, or for when you just need a simple, healthy weeknight dinner.
The Best Ever Grilled Pork Chop
While I love the grilled pork chop caprese Holly and I shared a few years ago, this pork chop recipe is much more basic. What makes this recipe so reliable is the delicious spice rub. It gives the grilled pork a lot of big, satisfying flavor, no marinade necessary! The rub gives the pork chops a sweet-savory-smoky flavor, and they caramelize beautifully on the grill. If you’re looking for a stove top pork chop, you can’t go wrong with my sticky hoisin-glazed pork chops, or really any of my favorite pork chop recipes.
Simple Grilled Pork Chop Ingredients
- Pork chops: See below for more info on the exact type of chop to buy.
- Brown sugar: Don’t worry, this won’t make the chops sweet! It helps with browning and balances the savory elements.
- Olive oil: Helps the spice rub stick to the pork. I also use some to oil the grates of my grill.
- Soy sauce or Tamari: This adds another level of flavor to the chops, and really makes the spice rub come to life.
- Fresh garlic: Mince it really fine, so it can cling to the pork when you grill it.
- Pantry spices & herbs: Garlic powder, dried basil, smoked paprika, mustard powder.
How To Grill Pork Chops
See the full recipe and more detailed instructions at the bottom of this page.
- Make the spice rub. You could do this ahead of time.
- Drizzle the chops with oil and soy sauce.
- Rub them with the spice rub and fresh garlic.
- While you heat the grill, let the pork chops sit for ten minutes.
- Grill the chops for about five minutes.
- Flip them, and cook for another five minutes, taking care not to over cook them. I really recommend using an instant-read thermometer to confirm doneness.
- Once you see 145 ºF on the thermometer, pull the chops off the heat.
- Let them rest for at least three minutes. Then eat up!
NOTE: If you are using boneless chops, they will cook a minute or two faster.
How To Check For Doneness
About a month ago, the USDA actually lowered the done temperature for pork chops! On May 24th, 2026, the USDA lowered the safe cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork from 160 ºF to 145 ºF. It was a big deal for food lovers like me, because for many years a lot of recipe developers have felt that if you cooked pork to the old official done temp, it was basically inevitable that folks would end up with a dry pork chop. So, pull those chops when you see 145 ºF, give them at least a three minute rest time (they will continue to cook a bit off the heat) and you should have perfectly done, moist pork chops.
How To Buy The Best Pork Chops
When I do make grilled pork chops, I prefer bone-in chops and I like a chop that’s 1 ½ inches thick, which are sometimes called “double-cut” chops because they are a bit thicker than some other pork chops. If you’re worried about getting high-quality pork, a good butcher is your best friend. If you have a great little independent butcher in your area, particularly for buying pork, it can be so worth it to go right to them, even if they’re a bit out of your way. A grocery store butcher can be great, too, particularly if you build a friendly relationship with them! Just ask for the best pork chops they’ve got, and ask for bone-in, double-cut chops. I think bone-in gives the best flavor by far, and thicker chops are more forgiving when cooked on the grill, as they stay moist more easily. They’re my forever-favorite.
Lastly, if you’re in the PNW (or you don’t mind waiting for shipping) I can’t recommend Source Farms pork chops enough. This isn’t a sponsored post, I just happen to LOVE the quality of their pork.
More Of The Best Grilled Dinners
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