Grill Pork Chops in an Easy Way
Grilling is a culinary appetizing way of cooking pork chops allowing you to tie in an assortment of flavors such as honey mustard, barbecue, Cajun, Mexican, French, Italian, Asian and more. To arrive at the ideal pork chops certain steps must be applied.
Brining is a great way to add moisture to any meat and is especially good with pork especially with thicker cuts of meat which are recommended for brining rather than thinner cuts. Brine is a salt water mixture (about 1 tablespoon table salt to a cup of water) that gets absorbed up by meat. Brining thick cut pork chops should take 2 to 4 hours; when brining do not use any other salt-based ingredient.
Marinades are preferable for thinner chops. Marinades cannot sink into meat like brine will but it gives a protective layer to the meat. A good example of a simple marinade is Italian Dressing which composes of oil, vinegar and water as well as herbs and spices. Thin chops can be acceptably marinated in 30 minutes. The marinade will tenderize the meat and shield it from the intense heat of the grill.
An alternate to the brines and marinades is a dry rub which is applied by seasoning the outside of your chops with herbs and spice (or salt and pepper). This will not allow for moisture or help to soften the chops but it will create a lot of flavor. Brine can be combined with dry rub, but be sure there is no salt in the dry rub.
Thin chops can be grilled hot and fast over an intense heat, turnning over as little as as you can. Preheat the grill to the highest temperature. Place the chops on the grill and lock the lid for one minute. Unlock the lid and spin the chops 45 degrees without turning over. Close the lid for another minute. Toss the chops over and close the lid again. After a minute rotate the chops 45 degrees and finish off. Cooking time is approximately 5 minutes.
Thick chops will need a reduced heat to get them cooked while not drying them out. Preheat to highest temperature grill. Put the chops on the grill and close the lid. After one minute open the grill and turn the chops. Close the lid for one minute. Now reduce the heat on the grill to medium. Rotate the chops and let them cook for about 3 more minutes with the lid down. Flip the chops over and continue cooking for about 4 more minutes. Turn your grill down to its minimum setting.
Once the chops are cooked as desired, remove and arrange them on a plate and cover with aluminum foil for 5 to 10 minutes to let them rest to allow the juice to redistribute in the meat.
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