Juicy Grilled Pork Chops with Beer

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 bone-in pork chops - Center-cut rib chops or center cut pork loin chops are both good for this recipe.  
• BBQ seasoning or dry rub - Use your favorite.
• 1 cup beer - bring the beer to room temperature so that it does not lower the temperature of the barbecue pork chops.
• BBQ sauce - Use your favorite barbecue sauce or try making this sweet barbecue sauce recipe.

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 best grilled pork chops with a perfect sear and 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 weeknight dinner of delicious tender 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 tangy 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.

1. Rub the chops with BBQ seasoning and allow them to marinate in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours.
2. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Place pork chops on the grill and sear for 1-2 minutes per side. You should have good grill marks on your chops.
3. Pour the beer over the chops and turn heat down to medium. Grill pork chops for 2-5 minutes.
4. Baste with BBQ sauce then flip the pork chops and cook for 4-7 minutes on the other side.
5. Baste with the remaining BBQ sauce then let rest for 3-5 minutes covered with aluminum foil before serving. Make sure the pork reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees using a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. 

Pork Chop Grilling Tips

The key to grilling great chops is in the selection of the pork chops themselves.

1. 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.
2. 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 however you will want to shorten the cooking time.
3. Always marinate for at least 30 minutes with a rub for pork chops or seasoning blend before cooking to enhance the moisture.
4. Let the chops come to room temperature before cooking. This will help you to maintain even cooking for super juicy pork chips.
5. For best results, I like to coat my charcoal or gas grill grate with a little bit of olive oil before heating it. This will make sure that the chops do not stick. 

Side Dishes to Serve with Beer Pork Chops

Of course, 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
• Baked Tomato Slices with Parmesan
• Simple Caprese Salad
• Braised Collards with Turkey Bacon
• Warm Brussels Sprout Slaw
• Air Fryer Baked Potatoes with Seasoned Sour Cream
• Greek Quinoa Salad

Here are more of my favorite side dishes to go with pork chops.

More Pork Chop Recipes

• Panko Pork Chops with Parmesan
• Skillet Pork Chops Caprese
• Pork Chops Italiano

If you like this Grilled Pork Chop recipe, please leave a 5-star rating.

RECIPE

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5 from 10 votes

Juicy Grilled BBQ Pork Chops with Beer

Pork chops marinated and cooked with beer are perfect for grilling.

Course: Dinner Entree

Servings: 4

Calories: 386kcal

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 or charcoal grill to medium-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.

Notes

Tips:

1. I prefer to use thicker bone-in center cut chops for this recipe. Thin boneless pork chops tend to dry out quickly when cooked on a grill. 
2. Let the chops come to room temperature before cooking. This will help you to maintain even cooking for super juicy pork chips.
3. For best results, I like to coat my charcoal or gas grill grate with a little bit of olive oil before heating it. This will make sure that the chops do not stick. 

Nutrition

Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 464mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 188IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg

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