Prepare the lemon-herb vinaigrette: Place oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk together. Stir in chives and set to the side.
Prepare the mango salsa: Place mango, peppers, red onion and cilantro into a medium-sized bowl. Add the lime juice followed by the sugar, salt and pepper. Toss lightly to combine. Set aside.
Prepare pork chops: Bring pork chops to room temperature an hour before grilling. Brush with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Grill pork chops: Turn on or set-up the barbecue for indirect grilling (see above). Preheat to 500°F. When the barbecue comes to temperature, place the pork chops down on the hot direct-heat side. Close lid and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Lift the lid, turn the chops over, close lid and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer chops to the indirect heat side, turning chop 90° so the grill marks create a crosshatch pattern. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the chops over, again lining up grill marks to create a crosshatch pattern. Cook for an additional 3 minutes or until meat is cooked to 145°F (63°C). Remove chops from grill, placing them onto a presentation platter. Brush with half the quantity of the lemon-herb vinaigrette and cover with foil, letting the chops rest for 5 minutes.
To serve: Brush the chops with the remaining vinaigrette and top with a generous spoonful of the mango salsa. Serve immediately with favourite sides.
Easy Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients
2 centre-cut pork chops, about 12 oz. each
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch of kosher salt
sprinkle of black pepper
For the lemon herb vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
For the mango salsa:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
½ red pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
½ red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
juice from half a lime
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Prepare the lemon-herb vinaigrette: Place oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk together. Stir in chives and set to the side.
Prepare the mango salsa: Place mango, peppers, red onion and cilantro into a medium-sized bowl. Add the lime juice followed by the sugar, salt and pepper. Toss lightly to combine. Set aside.
Prepare pork chops: Bring pork chops to room temperature an hour before grilling. Brush with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Grill pork chops: Turn on or set-up the barbecue for indirect grilling (see above). Preheat to 500°F. When the barbecue comes to temperature, place the pork chops down on the hot direct-heat side. Close lid and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Lift the lid, turn the chops over, close lid and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer chops to the indirect heat side, turning chop 90° so the grill marks create a crosshatch pattern. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the chops over, again lining up grill marks to create a crosshatch pattern. Cook for an additional 3 minutes or until meat is cooked to 145°F (63°C). Remove chops from grill, placing them onto a presentation platter. Brush with half the quantity of the lemon-herb vinaigrette and cover with foil, letting the chops rest for 5 minutes.
To serve: Brush the chops with the remaining vinaigrette and top with a generous spoonful of the mango salsa. Serve immediately with favourite sides.
Easy Grilled Pork Chops
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Tender, juicy grilled pork chops brushed with a chive and lemon vinaigrette, served with a zippy mango salsa…
These EASY GRILLED PORK CHOPS aren’t just easy, they’re extra tasty too!
No two ways about it; you’re going to love these EASY GRILLED PORK CHOPS. Even if you don’t have a ton of grilling experience, this simple, straightforward recipe will make you look like a grill master in no time – nothing wrong with that! From selecting the right chop and learning a proven grill technique, to basic prep steps and finishing touches, your pork chops will turn out perfectly each and every time you make them.
Before we list a few keys steps, and yes, there really aren’t many, how about a few reminders? First, please remember to SHARE this recipe with your friends and family. You can forward them THIS LINK or simply PIN the recipe to a favourite grilling board. We’re also a social bunch here at WATC so make sure to post pics of this delicious main when you make it. Just make sure to use #weekendatthecottage when you post. Thanks!
Because grilling and barbecue get-togethers are such an important part of warm weather weekends, we’ve created a COLLECTION of additional recipes you might want to try. You’ll find standard barbecue fare like burgers, hot dogs and steaks, but also salmon, lamb chops and assorted grilled vegetable recipes too. It’s a great place to start if you’re yearning to get your grill on!
Ready to make EASY GRILLED PORK CHOPS? Here are a few tips:
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The photo of the ingredients kind of says it all. You’ll need the pork chops, EVOO, salt and pepper, plus lemon and a fresh herb. That’s it! We went with chives for this story, but feel free to experiment with a different herb every time you make the recipe.
THE CHOPS
We’re going to suggest you look for a specific type of pork chop when making this recipe. Head to your trusted grocery store or specialty meat store and ask the butcher for centre-cut pork chops. Sometimes referred to as a loin chop or centre loin chop, they have the distinctive T-bone running down the middle. One side of the bone has a lighter loin meat, while the other side features darker tenderloin meat. They usually have more meat on them, less gristly fat, and grill up superbly tender and juicy.
GRILL PREP
Prepping the meat for this recipe involves two steps. The first is to bring your chops to room temperature about an hour before cooking. The second is to brush them with extra virgin olive oil and add a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper right before they head to the barbecue. The salt and pepper is an essential seasoning step while the oil prevents the chops from sticking to the grill.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT GRILLING
Because the chops are quite thick, similar to a choice ribeye steak, we use a combination of direct and indirect grilling to cook them. Good news; although we used a gas barbecue, this same technique works with a charcoal barbecue too. To accomplish this, we turned the burners on the left and middle areas of the grill to high. This area is where we quickly sear and score the outsides of the chops. The burner on the far right of the grill was set on a moderate or low setting. This is where the seared chops rest for a longer period of time to finish cooking.
The chops cook through because of the indirect heat from the left side of the grill, meaning that they never burn nor flare up in the process.
BY THE NUMBERS
Here are a few numbers to keep in mind when you try this recipe for the first time. The weight of each centre-cut pork chop is 12 oz.
The barbecue was preheated to 500°F and we grilled the chops on the direct-heat side of the grill for two minutes per side. We then transferred them over to the indirect side of the grill and continued to cook them for three minutes more per side. Total grill time start to finish is ten minutes.
YOU DONE?
If grilling pork chops is new to you, here are a few suggestions to test doneness. One way is to insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. The thermometer needs to read in the 145°F (63°C) – 150°F (66°C) range. You can also test like chefs do, where you press down into the meat – soft meat is uncooked, firm is done, hard is overcooked. One thing I learned years ago was to never be too proud to have a knife and fork at the ready to test the doneness on the spot, right at the grill.
HAVE A REST
Covering your chops with foil and giving them a chance to rest before serving is essential as it keeps them tender and juicy. For this recipe, we added an additional step to increase the flavour of the finished chops. Brushing them with a basic vinaigrette made from extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and chopped chives adds a fabulous pop of flavour.
FINISHING TOUCH
Our final touch on these fabulously tender and juicy EASY GRILLED PORK CHOPS is to send them to a plate or table with a little more of the vinaigrette plus a dollop of our tangy fresh mango salsa. We posted the recipe for our TANGY MANGO SALSA as an Instagram REEL. Head HERE to watch our 30-second video on how to make it. The recipe and instructions for it are also listed down below.
LET’S EAT
You will not have trouble figuring out what to serve with the simple but flavourful main. We think keeping things simple makes perfect sense, so consider stuff like our SIMPLE SALAD or our BABY ARUGULA AND STRAWBERRY SALAD. We also like the flavour of GARLIC SMASHED POTATOES and this SAUTÉED ASPARAGUS SIDE. Whatever you pick as your sides will be excellent, these chops go well with everything.
Every adventure in grilling should be as simple as these EASY GRILLED PORK CHOPS. Enjoy!
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Ingredients
2 centre-cut pork chops, about 12 oz. each
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch of kosher salt
sprinkle of black pepper
For the lemon herb vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
For the mango salsa:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
½ red pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
½ red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
juice from half a lime
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Prepare the lemon-herb vinaigrette: Place oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk together. Stir in chives and set to the side.
Prepare the mango salsa: Place mango, peppers, red onion and cilantro into a medium-sized bowl. Add the lime juice followed by the sugar, salt and pepper. Toss lightly to combine. Set aside.
Prepare pork chops: Bring pork chops to room temperature an hour before grilling. Brush with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Grill pork chops: Turn on or set-up the barbecue for indirect grilling (see above). Preheat to 500°F. When the barbecue comes to temperature, place the pork chops down on the hot direct-heat side. Close lid and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Lift the lid, turn the chops over, close lid and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer chops to the indirect heat side, turning chop 90° so the grill marks create a crosshatch pattern. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the chops over, again lining up grill marks to create a crosshatch pattern. Cook for an additional 3 minutes or until meat is cooked to 145°F (63°C). Remove chops from grill, placing them onto a presentation platter. Brush with half the quantity of the lemon-herb vinaigrette and cover with foil, letting the chops rest for 5 minutes.
To serve: Brush the chops with the remaining vinaigrette and top with a generous spoonful of the mango salsa. Serve immediately with favourite sides.
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