How to Grill Pork Chops: Thickness, Brine and 145°F

Delicious grilled pork chops served with rice, green beans, and corn on a dining table.

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Pork chops are lean, so a few degrees and a few minutes decide whether they are juicy or dry. This guide compares Weber’s butcher’s guide and brined pork chop recipe, America’s Test Kitchen’s charcoal-grilled chops, AmazingRibs’ pork chop pages and the National Pork Board, against USDA’s 145°F minimum with a 3-minute rest. Celsius figures are our own conversions unless a source gives them.

Start With Thickness

Weber says center-cut chops have the best flavor and tenderness at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, which helps them resist drying on the grill. AmazingRibs also wants loin chops at least 1 inch and warns that thin chops are easy to overcook. America’s Test Kitchen’s charcoal recipe uses 1½-inch (3.8 cm) bone-in rib or center-cut loin chops, and Weber’s brined recipe uses 8-to-10-ounce loin chops 1¼ to 1½ inches thick. The National Pork Board notes chops range from ½ to 2 inches and that thickness is the main driver of cooking time. Bone-in or boneless, Weber says, takes about the same time; thickness is what counts.

Brining

All three cooks brine, and their times overlap:

  • Weber’s recipe: 1 to 1½ hours refrigerated in a sealed bag, then pat dry (do not rinse) and let the chops stand at room temperature 15 to 30 minutes.
  • America’s Test Kitchen: about 1 hour in a brine of ¾ cup kosher salt and 6 tablespoons sugar in 3 quarts of water, dried thoroughly before seasoning with a rub or pepper.
  • AmazingRibs: 1 to 2 hours for 1-inch chops, half that for thinner ones, then pepper but no added salt because the brine has seasoned them. It calls this one of the few cases where it prefers a wet brine over a dry one.

Direct, Indirect or Both

The sources use three different fires.

  • Direct medium. Weber’s butcher’s guide says a 1-inch chop takes about 8 to 10 minutes over direct medium heat; its brined recipe uses 350 to 450°F (177 to 232°C), lid closed, 10 to 12 minutes for the thicker chops, turning once or twice.
  • Sear, then move. America’s Test Kitchen builds a two-level charcoal fire, browns each side 2½ to 3 minutes over the hot side, then moves the chops to the cooler side under a disposable pan for 7 to 9 minutes more. Weber’s 2013 grilling guide lists a similar split for 1¼- to 1½-inch chops: a 6-minute sear over direct high heat, then 4 to 6 minutes indirect. For ¾-inch chops it is 6 to 8 minutes total over direct high heat.
  • Low and indirect. AmazingRibs cooks around 225°F (107°C) indirect, about 45 to 60 minutes for 1-inch chops, and advises resisting high heat, since a dark crust matters less on pork than on beef. Its optional finish is a short move over direct heat with the lid off.

The Temperature Question

USDA’s chart lists beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts at 145°F (62.8°C) and “allow to rest for at least 3 minutes”, and adds that temperatures should be measured before removing food from the heat source. The National Pork Board gives the same 145°F with a 3-minute rest, and Weber’s butcher’s guide says the same, noting the meat may look slightly pink in the middle. Weber’s recipe adds “or your preferred doneness”, which is a personal choice, not the USDA minimum.

The other cooks pull earlier and count on the temperature rising while the chops rest:

  • America’s Test Kitchen pulls at 135°F (57°C), rests 5 minutes and says the temperature should reach 145°F (63°C).
  • AmazingRibs’ pork chop article suggests 135 to 140°F (57 to 60°C) in the thickest part, while its recipe says 145°F at most and removing the chops at 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C).

Weber’s grilling guide explains the reasoning: it says thick chops and steaks should rest 5 to 10 minutes before carving, and that the internal temperature of the meat rises by 5 to 10 degrees during that time. That describes what happens after a chop leaves the grill, but it is not the wording USDA uses for its minimum.

Anything pulled below 145°F is under the USDA minimum at the moment of removal, so this article uses 145°F as the target; take that reading in the center, away from bone, and then rest the chops at least 3 minutes.

A Simple Plan

Buy chops at least an inch thick, brine 1 to 2 hours, dry them, and use a two-zone fire so you can move them if they brown too fast. Let a thermometer, not the clock, tell you when they are done.

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