Juicy Grilled Pork Chops are rubbed with BBQ seasoning and basted with beer while cooking for the most flavorful BBQ pork chops you've ever eaten.
Pork chops are perfect for grilling because they cook fairly quickly and they can stand up to bold seasonings and sauces. These BBQ pork chops are rubbed with a flavorful bbq seasoning and allowed to marinate for several hours so the flavors can penetrate and tenderize the meat. Then, in a slightly unconventional twist, beer is poured over the chops during the cooking process to keep everything moist and juicy.
Ingredients
- thick cut pork chops ( bone-in preferred)
- BBQ seasoning or rub
- 1 cup beer, brought to room temperature
- BBQ sauce
Pork Chops Internal Temperature
Did you know pork only needs to be cooked to 145 degrees? The secret to juicy pork chops is not to overcook them. No one likes dry chops so follow my method and you will always have the perfect seared chop with just the right amount of pink inside.
Many years ago the USDA made an announcement which confirmed that pork only has to be cooked to 145 degrees F followed by a three minute resting period. Goodbye dry pork, hello juicy tender chops! Of course ground pork, like all ground meat still needs to be cooked to 160 degrees F. What did this mean to me? The first thing I did was pulled out a package of one and half inch thick chops from the freezer. It meant we were having a quick and easy dinner of delicious grilled pork chops!
Rub for Pork Chops
I like a simple BBQ rub for my chops. I usually use this Meat Seasoning with a bit of added red pepper for some extra spice. It's always nice to make a batch to keep in my pantry. But if you are not up to making your own rub, you can use any simple BBQ seasoning. My advice is to find one that doesn't include a lot of sugar as that could cause the outside of the chops to burn. I especially like this Louisiana seasoning from McCormick because it has a bit of heat.
If you do prefer a rub with sugar as the first ingredient, just make sure not to coat the chops with too much and they should be fine. You could also use a light seasoning of smoked or seasoned salt.
How to Make Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
I previously would cook my pork chops to 160 degrees F but with the 145 degrees temperature, there was a noticeable difference. Can you say plump and juicy? I used the rub for pork chops a few hours before I intended to cook. I poured some beer (your favorite beer will do) over them after they had a nice sear then finished them off with a little barbecue sauce. The insides were slightly pink and the smoky seasoning, beer and barbecue sauce made the pork so flavorful. If you need a quick main course for a BBQ, this is it.
- Rub the chops with BBQ seasoning and allow them to marinate in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours.
- Sear the pork chops for 1-2 minutes per side over high heat. You should have nice dark grill marks.
- Turn the heat down and pour the beer over the pork chops and cook 2-5 minutes.
- Baste with BBQ sauce then flip the pork chops and cook for 4-7 minutes on the other side.
- Baste with the remaining BBQ sauce then let rest for 3-5 minutes covered with aluminum foil before serving.
Pork Chop Grilling Tips
The key to grilling great chops is in the selection of the pork chops themselves.
- Choose thicker pork chops. Thin pork chops will be well done before the flavors have come together and will cause them to lose moisture resulting in dry, overcooked chops.
- Choose bone-in or boneless. I prefer bone-in chops. I think they are juicier and I like the way they look on the plate. Boneless pork chops are generally more affordable so feel free to use them. You will want to shorten the cooking time.
- Always marinate for at least 30 minutes with a rub for pork chops or seasoning blend before cooking to enhance the moisture.
- Let the chops come to room temperature before cooking. This will help you to maintain even cooking for super juicy pork chips.
Side Dishes to Serve with Beer Pork Chops
Of corse, you might want to serve some nice cold beers with these chops (if you are over 21!) but here are some side dishes that go well too.
- Mini Parmesan Truffle Hasselback Potatoes
- Braised Collards with Turkey Bacon
- Warm Brussels Sprout Slaw
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes with Seasoned Sour Cream
- Greek Quinoa Salad
Here are 21 of my favorite side dishes to go with pork chops.
More Pork Chop Recipes
If you like this Beer Pork Chops recipe, please leave a 5-star rating.
RECIPE
Juicy Grilled BBQ Pork Chops with Beer
Ingredients
- 4 thick cut pork chops bone-in preferred
- 1 tablespoon of your favorite BBQ seasoning or rub
- 1 cup beer brought to room temperature
- ½ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Rub the pork chops with your favorite seasoning 4 to 8 hours before cooking. Keep the chops refrigerated until half hour before cooking.
- Preheat gas grill to high heat. Sear chops about 1 to 2 minutes on each side with lid closed. Make sure they have nice sear marks.
- Turn grill heat down to medium. Pour beer over the chops.
- Cook the chops for 3 to 5 minutes on one side then baste with half the barbecue sauce.
- Flip over chops and cook for 4 to 7 more minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 145 degrees when placed in center of chop.
- Baste with remaining barbecue sauce.
- Remove to a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
- Let the chops rest for 3 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition
First Published May 2011 ; Updated June 2021
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Jennifurla
OMG, my husband would leave me for this dish! So lovely.
That Girl
I'm awful at checking temperature on pork to begin with. I usually go based on touch and color!
The Food Hunter
Those do look like some juicy chops!
Karen Harris
Gosh Lisa, how long has it been since we commented on each other's blogs? It was such a pleasure to see your comment. Your pork chops look fantastic. Like you I am thrilled that we no longer have to cook pork to oblivion. Oh happy day.
adventuresfromcloud8
I never thought I would be excited by an announcement by the USDA, but I am!! Yay! Can't wait to try these!
claudia lamascolo
I am speechless ... this is just WOW~
Ciao Chow Linda
Those are grilled to perfection. I never take the temperature of meat - I just use the finger test.
Leslie
I suppose I was always living on the edge by slightly undercooking my pork!! LOL
Yummy chops!
Dan
You're lucky you didn't try the lower temperature earlier. I hear the FDA makes surprise house calls 😉
Look excellent, by the way. I've got to get myself an electric meat thermometer eventually.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
I was also happy to hear about the temparature change! These pork chops look fabulous.
Allie
You know I don't even really like pork all that much except for bacon but when I got the email about this I was excited! Maybe the reason I haven't liked pork chops is because they were always dry!!! And now they will be juicy and delicious. That's my theory at least 🙂
Aggie
This looks great Lisa! Your photos are making me hungry 🙂
Kristina Vanni
Ah, I just stumbled upon this post now! I write for the Pork Board http://porkknifeandspoon.com/
and was the one hosting the Twitter party! Thanks so much for giving us a shout out and for spreading the word about 145!
Lima Ekram
These pork chops sound delicious - am trying this weekend!
Sharon
I love the beer added to this, it adds a whole new layer of flavor to this dish.
Nathan
It blew my mind when I looked at the ingredients list and saw there were only 4 of them! Beer and BBQ sauce: is there a better combo? Can't wait to give these pork chops a try!
Beth
These are so juicy and have become a family favorite! I love grilling in the summertime especially for big BBQ weekends! I can’t wait to share this recipe with my family at the next BBQ!
Alejandra
These look like such a great BBQ recipe! Perfect for the next summer day!
Jess
Incredibly juicy and full of flavor!!
Andrea
Wow! A perfectly grilled pork chop that looks super flavorful and fantastic!
Elizabeth
Now these are some delicious pork chops! So juicy and just perfect for summer!
Irina
These pork chops are the best! Once I saw the first picture on the post (it is mouthwatering!!!), I could not stand but to run to the kitchen to make it ASAP! It is DELICIOUS!
Tara
So perfect for grilling season! These grilled pork chops look absolutely incredible. Love all that flavor and how easily they come together!