These Smoked Pork Chops are about to be your new favorite barbecue recipe! Start with a sweet and smokey dry spice rub to infuse pork with the best flavor before smoking. You’ll love how simple it is to smoke pork chops on your grill, and you’ll love how they taste even more!
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What’s in this Smoked Pork Chops Recipe?
This recipe will take your typical grilled pork chops up a notch! Juicy, spice-rubbed pork chops are smoked to infuse them with so much flavor. You’re gonna love them.
- Pork Chops: You want your pork chops to be at least 1 inch thick, preferably 1½ inches thick, in order to get a good smokey flavor before the pork overcooks.
- Olive Oil: Helps the dry rub stick to the pork.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the rub and helps caramelize the pork.
- Spices: Chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, kosher salt, and ground black pepper combine to create a flavorful rub.
Variations on a Smoked Pork Chop
You can change up the flavor of these smoked pork chops by using a different seasoning, such as pork chop seasoning, Creole seasoning, blackened seasoning, Italian seasoning, or herbs de Provence.
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How to Store and Reheat
Store smoked pork chops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a baking pan with a bit of chicken or vegetable broth in a 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.
How to Freeze
Freeze smoked pork chops in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
We love to serve these smoked pork chops with classic sides, like stovetop mac and cheese, baked beans, homemade applesauce, or honey glazed carrots. We love to start the meal with some hearty cornbread muffins because their sweetness beautifully balances the smoky and savory flavor of the chops.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
We use a mild wood, like apple, cherry, hickory, maple, or pecan (pecan is my favorite) to impart a mild and slightly sweet flavor that won’t overpower the meat.
Smoked Pork Chops Recipe
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Ingredients
- 4 thick-cut boneless pork chops
- Olive oil
For the Rub
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Recommended Equipment
- Smoker OR
- Grill AND
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker or BBQ to 225°F. Add wood chips to the coals or fit your BBQ with a smoking box.
- In a small bowl, stir together all the rub ingredients.¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon ground mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pat the pork chops dry. Drizzle with olive oil and liberally season. Flip and repeat on the second side.4 thick-cut boneless pork chops, Olive oil
- Place the smoke on your grill and smoke for 2-2½ hours, or until the pork reaches 145°F.
- Remove from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- You want your pork chops to be at least 1 inch thick, preferably 1½ inches thick, in order to get a good smoke flavor before the pork overcooks.
- You can use a BBQ smoker box to convert your grill into a smoker.
- You can substitute your favorite BBQ rub.
- Use a mild wood, like apple, cherry, hickory, maple, or pecan.
Nutrition Information
How to Smoke Pork Chops Step by Step
Make the Seasoning: Preheat your smoker or BBQ to 225°F. Add wood chips to the coals or fit your BBQ with a smoking box. In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of ground mustard, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Season and Smoke the Pork: Pat 4 thick-cut boneless pork chops dry. Drizzle with olive oil and liberally season. Flip and repeat on the second side. Place the smoke on your grill and smoke for 2-2½ hours, or until the pork reaches 145°F. Remove from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
It only takes about 2-2½ hours to smoke pork chops. The chops are done when they reach 145°F internally at the thickest point.
To keep these pork chops moist, we smoke them low and slow. It’s also important to choose thick-cut pork chops so that they don’t cook too fast.
It’s not necessary, but you can flip the chops once about halfway through cooking them if you’d like.
If you’d like a crispy sear on your pork chops, you can sear them in a hot cast iron pan after smoking them. This is called reverse searing.
No, pork chops will not get more tender the longer you smoke them. They will start to dry out.
Pork chops are super lean, so they are easy to overcook. Watch your chops carefully, and remove them from the smoker as soon as they reach 145°F to avoid making them tough and chewy.
