Grilled, Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops

Grilling pork chops is quite a different process than grilling red meat. Be sure to cook pork more uniformly throughout. Steaks can be charred on the outside and a delicious shade of pink inside.

Therefore, grilling pork requires a medium direct heat, allowing the inside to cook evenly with the outside.

Keep in mind we are looking for a uniform infusion of bold herbal flavor... Not technical precision. So the ingredients for the rub are mostly a guideline, rather than a prescriptive rule.

Note that you might want to prep your grill before you start getting into the food prep, as you may need time to wash up before you get back into the kitchen.
Scrub grill grates with a wire brush prior to starting. Preheat grill to medium before adding pork chops over direct heat.

Ingredients:

• 2 T. Kosher salt
• 6-8 large fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• 2 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stems and crushed
• 2 T. fresh thyme leaves, crushed with fingers
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 T. black Hawaiian salt
• 4 thick-cut bone-in pork chops, approximately 1” thick

Directions:

Combine salt, basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic and pepper thoroughly in a small bowl. Rub mixture over all sides of pork chops until thoroughly covered.

Place the chops over direct heat. Cook for 7-8 minutes, turn once, but otherwise keep the lid closed as much as possible. If your chops are thinner or thicker than 1”, adjust cook time accordingly.

Remove chops from heat, cover and let rest for 3 - 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a grilled summer vegetable medley and top with a pat of compound butter seasoned with the same herbs used in the rub.

If you like this recipe enough to serve it again, try adding some apple or hickory chips on subsequent meals to add another layer of flavor.