Making barbecue pork chops typically means preheating your grill and cooking them at the right temperature and for the right length of time to ensure a juicy pork chop that is fully cooked. You also can marinate the pork chops for added flavor. Usually, thicker pork chops benefit from cooking at lower temperatures and for longer periods than thinner cuts. No matter which type of cut you choose, however, flipping is usually necessary for even cooking and to prevent burning. Additionally, you might benefit from using a meat thermometer to determine when your chops are done.
Marinating before you barbecue pork chops can help improve the chops' taste, and there are many marinades from which to choose. For example, you can make a marinade out of honey, mustard, soy sauce, cooking oil, and spices. Some people also make marinades out of ketchup, cooking oil, soy cause, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and spices. Typically, grilled pork chop recipes call for marinating pork chops for at least one hour.
Preheating your grill is typically important when you want to barbecue pork chops. You will need to make sure the grill is hot enough to start the cooking process as soon as you set the pork on the grill. If you have a charcoal grill, you will likely need to preheat it for about 20 minutes to get it ready, but a gas grill will tend to heat up faster. You may do well to read the manufacturer's instructions to learn how long it will take to preheat your gas grill, but many require about 10 minutes to heat up enough to barbecue pork chops and other foods.
The thickness of the pork chops you choose will typically matter a good deal when it comes to the temperature and the length of time needed to cook them. A thinner pork chop will likely cook best over high heat and for a shorter period of time — often, thin cuts are done in just a few minutes. If you cook this type of pork chop for too long, you risk making it dry and tough. A thicker cut, on the other hand, often does better with low grill temperatures and a longer cooking time to prevent drying the meat and burning the surface before the inside is done. Thicker pork chops usually require about 10 to 12 minutes of cooking time.
When you barbecue pork chops, most cooking experts recommend flipping them frequently. This promotes even cooking and helps prevent burning them. Likewise, flipping can also help discourage the meat from sticking to the grill grates. If you are barbecuing thin pork chops, you will likely have to flip them at least a couple of times while they cook. You may need to flip thicker pork chops about every three to four minutes.
While you can use recommended cooking times as a guideline, you may do well to obtain a meat thermometer and use it to determine when your pock chops are safe to eat. Pork chops should be cooked to least 145°F (about 62.77°C) and then allowed to sit for a few minutes before serving. If you cook them to a lower temperature, you risk food poisoning.
