Looking to grill the juiciest BBQ boneless pork chops this summer? I’ll show you how — with a few simple tricks and a super easy homemade BBQ sauce that starts with ketchup!
More Pork Hitting the Grill
This summer, I’m all about taking my pork to the grill. We’re staying at a house that doesn’t have central A/C, so on hot days, I don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Plus, when you can get some nice-looking grill marks on a piece of pork—oh, it’s a beautiful thing!
Last month, I went to Costco and picked up a whole boneless pork loin, which can easily be sliced into custom boneless pork chops. It’s a great value for buying pork, and without the bone, it’s super easy to cut. I even got out a ruler and sliced them into 1-inch chops so they’d cook quickly on the grill.
Brining the pork chops ahead of time and using a thermometer to track the internal temperature are the keys to consistently juicy chops every single time.
Now, let me show you how it’s done. If you are interested check out how to grill a pork tenderloin.
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Why a Brine?
I always brine my pork chops before I cook them on the grill. This does two things:
- Seasons the meat, right to the interior
- Adds moisture, helping to make sure your pork chops don't dry out while cooking
My brine is very simple:
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
I heat up all those ingredients to dissolve the salt and brown sugar then I add ice to chill it before putting my pork chops in for a 2 hour soak - 3 hours max.
I always place the pork chops into a gallon sized bag that I place inside a large mixing bowl just in case the bag leaks.
BBQ Sauce Ingredients
My homemade BBQ sauce is really fanciest up ketchup. What I do is I look in my pantry and spice cabinet and find out what seasonings I have that would make a good BBQ sauce.
- Ketchup – Use whatever store-bought ketchup you like. I typically go with whatever’s the best deal—especially with a family of six!
- Mild Vinegar – No balsamic here. You want something on the mild side, like white vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Molasses – This adds a rich sweetness to the barbecue sauce and deepens the color of the ketchup. If you don’t have any, you can substitute with brown sugar, which is just white sugar mixed with molasses.
- Garlic Powder – Use garlic powder, not garlic salt. Ketchup is already salty enough, so there’s no need to add more salt just to get that garlic flavor.
- Paprika – For this recipe, I use a combination of sweet and hot paprika. Smoked paprika also works great. I even wrote an entire post about how to find paprika that actually has flavor!
- Worcestershire Sauce – This is what brings the umami. Besides the ketchup, I’d say this is the most important ingredient. It adds a ton of complexity with just a little bit. Don’t skip it.
- Mustard Powder – This adds a subtle savory note. I don’t use enough to make it taste like mustard—it just makes the sauce taste better overall.
Grilling Tips
Here are is what you need to know before you turn on the grill:
- I set my grill to around 400-450 degrees. If you don't trust your grill temperature gage you can use an infrared thermometer to check the temperature. It's also helpful in figuring out if your grill has some warm spots or cool spots.
- Brining is like taking out insurance just in case you overcook your pork. If you make sure to not overcook it, even better. I use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the chops. If your chops are different thickness it's important to check each one to make sure they are done. My goal is for the pork chops to hit 145 degrees. According to the USDA, 145 degrees is the minimum temperature for cooking pork.
The type of thermometer I use is the The Thermapen® ONE from ThermoWorks. I love it because it really does give you an accurate read out in 1 second. It's worth every penny as I use it nearly on a daily basis for temping meats, breads, baked goods, even chicken nuggets for my kids in the air fryer!
Have you ever brined pork chops before grilling? Let me know in the comments — and tell me your favorite BBQ sauce add-ins
Brined & Grill Pork Chops with Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 9-10 boneless pork chops about 1-inch thickness
For the pork brine
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 pound ice
For the homemade BBQ sauce
- 2 cups ketchup
- 3 TBS mild vinegar
- 4 TBS molasses
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp hot paprika
- 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp mustard powder
Instructions
To brine the pork chops
- Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan over high heat. Cook until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
- Then remove from the heat and add about 1 pound of ice to cool the brine down. Give it a good stir and set it aside.
To make the BBQ sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan.
- Bring just to simmer and remove from the heat.
- Once it's cool enough taste to see if you like it. Add more ingredients if you think it needs it.
To grill the pork chops
- Preheat your grill to 400–450°F.
- Place the pork chops directly over the heat.
- Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on one side, or until you see a nice sear with defined grill marks. Flip the chops.
- Brush on the homemade BBQ sauce and continue cooking.
- Cook until the internal temperature reaches at least 145°F when checked with a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
- Let the pork chops rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
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