This recipe uses a quick brine and a Homemade Bacon BBQ Sauce to create the most flavorful, juicy pork chops you could imagine! Thick cuts are a key to success in making the Best BBQ Grilled Pork Chops and the brine ensures they retain moisture so you will no longer suffer from dried-out pork.
I first talked about brining in my recipe for Margarita Chicken Kabobs. The same technique is used for grilled pork chops but instead of the brine being flavoured like a marinade it is just a basic brine recipe that can be used for any cut of pork as well as chicken.
For a quick and easy side dish check out these Green Giant Restaurant Sides that I did a review for.
If you are looking for more pork recipes, have a look at these Pork Medallions in Creamy Mushroom Sauce, Thai Meatballs in Red Curry Peanut Sauce, and this Mustard and Herb Grilled Pork Tenderloin recipe.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy - This recipe comes together quickly and it's so easy you will wonder why you haven't been making grilled pork chops more often!
The Best and Easiest BBQ Sauce! - All the ingredients to make this bbq sauce you probably already have on hand and it all comes together in less than 20 minutes! You can also slather it on any of your favorite grilled meats. You will find another easy BBQ sauce recipe included with my Grilled Chicken Thighs.
Economical - Pork chops are inexpensive compared to other red meats and making your own BBQ sauce will save you money too!
Tender and Juicy - Taking the extra step to brine your pork chops will turn you into a pro at grilling tender and juicy chops every-single-time!
What You Need to Make Grilled Pork Chops
- Pork chops - I prefer bone-in center cut or rib chops for grilling. Look for a minimum 1-inch thickness. Any cut of pork chop will work with this recipe but cooking times may vary. Boneless cuts take less time so be sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer.
- Dry spice rub - This is a basic dry rub just to add an extra punch of flavour. If you have your own favourite dry rub feel free to use that.
- Wet brine - A simple brining liquid will help keep your pork chops tender and juicy. Brining also works for preventing chicken breasts from drying out when grilling.
Although this BBQ sauce can be prepared without bacon, I highly recommend including it. Many store-bought sauces are high in sugar, salt, and oil. Creating your own sauce gives you better control over these ingredients, as well as the ability to adjust the spiciness and other flavors according to your preferences. Making it yourself also saves you money!
I also enjoy making homemade salad dressings for the same reasons. Take a look at my Spicy Ranch Dressing and Dip, along with the popular Cumin and Lime Vinaigrette recipe.
For a complete list of ingredients see the recipe card below.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1 - Brine: In a dish or resealable bag large enough to submerge the pork chops in liquid, mix together the brine ingredients and add the pork chops. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes while you make the BBQ sauce.
Step 2 - Cook the bacon: In a medium saucepan, that will fit the rest of the ingredients, cook bacon over medium heat until browned.
Step 3 - Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Step 4 - Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and discard what's in the strainer to create a smooth sauce for your pork chops.
Step 5 - Grill the pork chops - Grill on medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side. Flip and brush with bbq sauce. Grill for another 3 to 4 minutes then flip and brush with sauce again. Continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Brush with more sauce as needed. Transfer to a platter and cover loosely with foil for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side.
How to cook pork chops in the oven
Don't have a grill or it's not grilling weather? Not to worry. I have you covered with a pan-roasted method.
- Follow the recipe up to Cooking The Chops.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat an oven-proof frying pan or cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Add a teaspoon of avocado or other high-heat oil to the pan and sear the first side for 2 minutes. Flip and add BBQ sauce to the top side. Sear the second side for 2 minutes, flip, and brush top and sides with BBQ sauce.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 to 12 minutes for bone-in, 1 inch thick, chops or until internal temperature is 145 degrees F
- You can add more BBQ sauce halfway through baking if desired.
For an extra special dessert why not try my recipe for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits?
Pro-Tips For Grilling Pork Chops
Make extra BBQ sauce - This sauce is delicious on any of your favourite grilled meats such as chicken or beef.
Make sure the grill is preheated. Lower the heat if the BBQ sauce starts getting too dark. Starting with a hot grill helps achieve a nice char but with BBQ sauce you have to be careful not to burn it.
Use thick-cut pork - Although you can grill thinner chops they will be much juicier when they are a minimum of one inch thick.
Use a thermometer - For best results use a quick-read thermometer. It's the best way to make sure your chops aren't dry.
Recipe FAQs
Cooking times will vary depending on the size and thickness of the pork chops. Typically one-inch thick pork chops will take 10 to 15 minutes. The best way to ensure proper cooking is to use a meat thermometer and cook to 145 degrees F.
The best way to have juicy pork chops that aren't dried out is to soak them in a brine before cooking. This technique locks in moisture resulting in tender pork chops every time!
More Grilling Recipes
Tried this recipe? I would love it if you could leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and/or a comment below. You can also follow me on social media here on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Want to say thank you?📖 Recipe
Best BBQ Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons salt (not coarse)
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 3 cups cool water
- 2 bone-in center cut or rib chops, 1 inch thick (225g/8oz each)
Spice Rub
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Bacon Barbecue Sauce
- 2 slices bacon
- ¼ white onion, grated or minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
Instructions
For the pork
- Dissolve the salt and sugar in cool water in a large container or resealable bag. Submerge the chops in the brine, cover and refrigerate for one hour.1 ½ tablespoons sugar, 3 cups cool water, 1 ½ tablespoons salt
- Combine the dry rub ingredients in a bowl and set aside.¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the barbeque sauce
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the fat begins to render and bacon is browning. Add grated onion, garlic, chili powder, vinegar, ketchup, hot sauce, and Worchestershire. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer, pressing all the sauce through so you don’t miss a drop! You should have about one cup of sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.2 slices bacon, ¼ white onion,, 1 clove garlic,, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ cup cider vinegar, 1 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar
Cooking the chops
- Preheat your outdoor grill, or grill pan for cooking indoors, to medium-high heat. Use a paper towel to oil grates or grill pan.
- Remove chops from brine, rinse in cool water, and pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle dry rub all over both sides.
- Place chops on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on the first side. Flip and add barbecue sauce to the top and sides. Cook on the second side for another 4 minutes. Flip again and brush the top with sauce. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chops, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
- Transfer pork chops to a plate or platter. Loosely cover and rest for 5 minutes. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side.
Sherry says
I haven’t had barbecued pork chops in years, but after using this method of brining first, that’s now changed. Pork chops were moist and so delicious. I will be using this recipe all summer long and trying this with chicken as well.
Andrea says
I’m so happy you enjoyed the chops! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment!
Heathee says
I can’t even believe my picky, turn-her-nose-up at everything daughter, devoured these pork chops. I will NEVER make pork chops without brining first, again. Absolutely succulent and delicious, Andrea!!! Can’t wait the next sale on sale on bone-in chops!!!
Andrea says
This makes me so happy to hear! Winning over picky eaters is the ultimate compliment. So happy you enjoyed the chops and thanks for the comment!
Nancy Moore says
Haven’t tried this yet, but curious… I have trouble with restaurant meat making my (Livy) scale go up because (I assume) of hidden salt. Will these brined portal chops do the same? I see a pretty high level of sodium listed in the nutrition panel. Thanks! I have loved every recipe of yours I e tried so far!!
Andrea says
Hi Nancy!
Great question! The info in the nutritional panel is only an estimate as I have no way of measuring how much salt is absorbed by the meat. However, I did some research and brined meat only absorbs a fraction of the salt. A brine using 1/4 cup of salt only absorbed 1/8 of a tsp after 24 hours, according to tests done by America's Test Kitchen. You can also reduce or eliminate the salt in the dry rub and BBQ sauce to your liking. Hope that helps and be sure to let us know if you try the recipe out!
Cathy Hedderwick says
Love the new enhancements. No more dirty screen flipping back and forth and continually Turing phone on.
Andrea says
Hi Cathy! I'm so happy you are enjoying the new recipe card features!
Sue says
Oh good golly Miss Molly! Attempted the bacon bbq sauce tonight (NOT a cooker person here!). Didn’t have any regular bacon so rendered down a couple pork belly strips. OMG we didn’t even get to the chicken or the pork chops LOL we were grabbing veggies, crusty bread, and anything else we could put our hands on to dunk all that sauce! We had a bacon barbeque sauce dinner 🤣 SO AMAZING! Hubby added the leftover bacon and onion into his mashed potatoes later on. Delish! Love being able to control the salt and sugar content. Another winner Andrea, as usual! TY
Andrea says
I love this so much! Having the sauce on mashed potatoes is next level! So happy you enjoyed it and thanks for the comment!
Deb H says
Delicious, like always Andrea you are awesome lady .Thanks again
Deb
Andrea says
So happy you enjoyed the chops! Thanks for commenting!
Jeanine says
Hi Andrea,
Another fabulous recipe! I don't make the BBQ, but I use the brine a d the spice rub. We have BBQed them and done them in the oven...delicious!! A keeper in the rotation for sure😁
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the chops. They are super delicious even without the BBQ Sauce! Thanks for commenting!
Kathy Watson says
These pork chops were delicious! I’ve never grilled them before, worried they would be dried out. These were so moist! Thank you!
We enjoy your recipes! I always look forward to the next one.
Kathy
Andrea says
Hi Kathy! I'm so happy you enjoyed the pork chops! Brining makes all the difference! Thanks for commenting!
Jill Williard says
These chops look amazing ! Just wondering if it's a bad idea to brine longer then 60 mins? I was considering prepping them a couple hours before grilling?
Andrea says
Hi Jill! A couple of hours should be fine. I haven't really tested different lengths of time except for overnight. That resulted in them being too salty and a bit of a soggy texture. I think 2 hours +\- would be totally fine. You can also remove them from the brine at any time and they can stay in the fridge until you are ready to go. Hope that helps and you enjoy them!
Lucianna says
These look delicious! On my list for this week but my bbq is awaiting assembly! Can I cook these in the oven?
Lucianna says
Oops never mind! I just read your entire post instead of jumping to the recipe 🙂 I should’ve known you are always awesomely informative
Andrea says
No worries at all! I'm happy to help! 😊
Andrea says
Hi Lucianna! Yes you absolutely can! The full details are written in the post just above the recipe card. Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you enjoy the chops!
Lorie says
As usual another GREAT recipe. My husband LOVED the chops as well and commented on how juicy they were. Thanks Andrea can't wait to see what's next.
lorie
Andrea says
Fantastic! I'm so happy you both enjoyed them!
Kim MacKenzie says
Thank you again Andrea for an amazing recipe. My family absolutely loved the BBQ Pork Chops with home made barbeque sauce. Made it today, Father's Day, and my husband said it was the best pork chop he has ever had - so juicy and tender and oh so flavourful!!!
Kim MacKenzie
Andrea says
I'm so happy to hear you all enjoyed the recipe. Especially your husband on Father's Day! Thanks so much for commenting!
Betty-Kay Murray says
These look amazing and I plan to give them a try. I do have a question about the bacon - do you cut it and add it back in the sauce or do you discard it?
Andrea says
Hi Betty!
Yes you discard the bacon. However, if you want to leave it in you could cut it up before hand and not strain the sauce in the end. Hope
You enjoy it!