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    Home » Recipes » Grilling

    Grilled Boneless Pork Loin Chops, Brined and Honey Glazed

    Published: Aug 13, 2009 · Modified: Jun 28, 2015 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

    In this part of the blog I'm supposed have a witty story, where I tell a few jokes.  I should explain why the recipe has some special meaning to me, and why it should have special meaning to you.

    This is a recipe for grilled boneless pork loin chops.

    And... after that, I've got nothing.

    I've already told you about modern pork being bred so lean that almost all the taste is gone.  Pork loin is a bland, innocuous protein that is easily overcooked.  It shouldn't be cooked past medium or it dries out.

    It doesn't even have a bone you can gnaw on when you're done with it.

    I've told you how to season pork - you should brine it to get it some flavor and give it a bit of a cushion from overcooking.

    What does that leave me with?

    Boneless pork loin is boring.  But if you know that going in, you can help it out.  Use it as a neutral base to build on.  Give it a brine full of flavor, so it's seasoned all the way through.  Cook it carefully, so it doesn't dry out, but it does get a good sear.  Baste it with a honey glaze, so it gains an extra layer of seasoning at the end.  Layers of flavor are the key to a good pork loin chop.

    Pork loin may be bland, but maybe...it just needs a little love.
    *I may be a blockhead, but I can cook a good pork chop.

    Recipe: Grilled Boneless Pork Loin Chops, Brined and Honey Glazed

    Cook time: 12 minutes

    Equipment:

    • Grill (I used a Weber Summit 650. Here it is.)
    • Herb basting brush: One small bunch of thyme, tied at the stems to use as a basting brush (or, you can just a regular basting brush. I like the Oxo Silicone Basting Brush.)

    Ingredients:

    • 3 lbs pork loin roast, (or 3 lbs of pork chops, cut 1 inch thick)

    Brine

    • 1 quart water
    • ¼ cup table salt
    • 2 tablespoon sugar

    Honey Glaze

    • 4 tablespoon honey
    • 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon thyme
    • pinch black pepper
    Chops sliced from the roast, 1 inch thick

    Directions:
    1. Prep and Brine the pork chops: Combine the brine ingredients in a 2 quart or larger container.  Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve in the brine.  If you bought the whole loin, cut it crosswise into 1" thick chops (you should get about eight).  Put the pork chops in the brine, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you prepare the grill.

    Patting brined chops dry on paper towels

    2. Prepare the honey glaze: Combine the honey glaze ingredients in a small bowl, and stir until the honey dissolves.

    3. Prepare the grill Set your grill up for cooking at medium heat. For my Weber Summit, this means turning all the burners to high and preheating for 10 minutes, then turning the burners down to medium.


    4. Cook the pork chops: Remove the pork chops from the brine, and pat dry with paper towels.  (Wet pork won't brown well, and you need the browning for flavor).  Place the pork chops on the grill, angled at about 45 degrees (pointing "northeast") and cook for 3 minutes.  (If you are cooking on a gas grill, keep the lid closed while cooking; if on charcoal, keep it open.)  Rotate the chops 90 degrees (now pointing "northwest"), and cook for another 3 minutes. Flip the chops, brush with the honey glaze, and cook for another 3 minutes.  Check the chops - you want to cook them to an internal temperature of 140*F.  They're probably done now, but if they haven't reached 140*F, rotate them 90 degrees, brush with the glaze, and cook until they're done, probably another 1-3 minutes.  Remove to a serving platter, and brush again with the honey glaze.
    *Your timings may vary depending on how hot your grill gets.  You want to have good, brown markings on the chops before you rotate them, and you want it to be well browned on the first side before you flip it.  Don't worry about the second side browning; remove it from the grill when it's done, and serve with the browned side up on the plate.


    5. Serve the chops: Let the chops rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

    Variations:
    *A barbecue rub on the chops is another nice touch: try my quick rub.
    *You can also replace the honey glaze with barbecue sauce.

    Notes:
    *I prefer to buy a whole pork loin, and cut it into chops myself.  When I buy pre-cut chops, they tend to be uneven in thickness, and a little too thin.  It only takes a couple more minutes to cut them myself, and it is usually less expensive, because pork loin roasts tend to be cheaper than pork chops at my local grocery store.
    *I picked this trick up from Pam Anderson in "How to Cook Without a Book."

    Questions? Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Related Posts:
    Click here for my Grilled Korean short ribs recipe.
    Click here for my Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri recipe.

    Inspired by:

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    Comments

    1. Andy says

      March 21, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      I made these scrumptious pork chops tonight and received 5 stars from everyone at the table. Even my 15 year old grandson who doesn't like anything, said these "were the bomb". Everyone said these have to be in our regular rotation and I completely agree. Thank you for a delicious recipe.

      Reply
    2. Ron R says

      March 20, 2018 at 11:03 pm

      I just made these for my family and they loved them to include my extremely picky 12-year old daughter!!!!

      Reply
    3. Kevin D. says

      May 29, 2016 at 8:47 pm

      Wow, just a very good recipe followed by absolutely perfect instructions! If I can nail it on the first try, anybody can. I used a little corn syrup in the brine, and a little minced garlic in the glaze. My family thanks you for a wonderful meal.

      Reply
    4. Tamarie says

      October 09, 2015 at 7:03 pm

      absolutely unbelievable! They look impressive too! What a family hit.

      Reply
    5. Claude says

      June 28, 2015 at 1:20 pm

      Does the honey glaze go on just one side of the steak (after flipping)or both sides when BBQing?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        June 28, 2015 at 2:38 pm

        Brush both sides with the glaze.

        Reply
    6. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      August 14, 2014 at 12:29 pm

      Great! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
    7. Mel G says

      August 14, 2014 at 12:12 pm

      Made these last night and they were great! I really appreciated the tips on exactly how to grill them, as they came out perfect when I checked the temperature after 3 minutes on the second side. Will definitely make these again! Only change was to use half the thyme, as I had dried, ground thyme as opposed to fresh.

      Reply
    8. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      April 26, 2012 at 10:52 am

      You're welcome.

      Reply
    9. Paul H says

      April 26, 2012 at 1:53 am

      Wow. No substitutions here. Very simple but so incredible. My family had no idea what I was serving tonight, and the very first words spoken after they cut into these chops was "wow. so flavorful!" Thanks.

      Reply
    10. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says

      December 02, 2011 at 2:36 am

      @Dave inTN:

      Thank you - I have to try that molasses brine in the future.

      Reply
    11. Dave_in_TN says

      December 01, 2011 at 12:56 pm

      For a quart of brine I used 3 oz of pickling salt + about 2 oz of molasses. Similar to the salt-molasses weight ratio used by Alton Brown's "Q" brine for pork shoulder (http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/q/index.html). I really the flavors from using molasses to brine pork chops and shoulders.

      For the glaze I used about a 1:1 substitution ratio for the sorghum. You are right it was not very sweet, probably should have used less vinegar or more sorghum! Still had great flavor though.

      Keep up the great work! I enjoy your blog very much.

      Reply
    12. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says

      December 01, 2011 at 12:29 am

      @Dave_in_TN:

      Wow - that's some creative substitution going on there. Did you do a 1:1 substitution, or did you increase the amounts? (I'm thinking in the brine, particularly; I thought molasses isn't as sweet as honey).

      Reply
    13. Dave_in_TN says

      December 01, 2011 at 12:26 am

      These were great! I substituted pure north Georgia sorghum syrup for the honey and used molasses in the brine instead of sugar... Thanks again D-C-D!

      Reply

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    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner!

    I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

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