I love my grill this time of year. I love it on hot days when my non-air conditioned house is an oven. I love it when I get home late from work and the aroma of my hubby’s perfectly charred steaks greets me. I love it when our schedules are crazy and we need a quick, easy, and relatively healthy dinner.
I could go on about how much I love meals on the grill during the summer, but my ode writing skills are a bit rusty. There’s just no better way to prepare and enjoy a meal during the warm months. And these North Carolina BBQ Pork Chops are one of my favorite grill recipes because they’re easy, lean and so very tasty.
The rub is made from spices that you likely already have on-hand (in fact, consider multiplying the recipe so you have a batch of premade rub on-hand at all times – it works great on multiple cuts of pork and even chicken or beef!) The chops are so flavorful that you don’t really need the sauce to add flavor, but it’s so good that I recommend not skipping it. Divide into little ramekins so that everyone at the table can mop it up with their bites of pork and crusty garlic bread.
North Carolina BBQ Pork Chops
North Carolina BBQ Pork Chops
These North Carolina BBQ Pork Chops are quick, easy, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs boneless pork chops (or bone-in, tenderloin, etc – just modify your cook time as necessary)
RUB
- 1 TBSP dark brown sugar
- ½ TBSP chili powder
- ½ TBSP paprika
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- Sprinkle of cayenne (depends on how spicy you want it)
SAUCE
- ⅓ C ketchup
- ¼ C apple cider vinegar
- 2 TBSP honey
- 2 tsp Worcestershire
Instructions
- Mix up all the ingredients for the spice rub in a small bowl.
- Rub half all over the chops and let stand while you heat up the grill.
- Wipe down the grill rack with cooking oil or non-stick spray.
- Prepare the sauce, combining all ingredients in another small bowl, and set aside.
- Before grilling, rub the remaining spice mixture on the chops. Place on the grill for a total of about 5 minutes/side – cook time will vary depending on thickness and cut of meat. Just be sure that the center of the meat reaches 160° for medium, or 145° if you prefer more pink.
- Remove from heat and cover with foil while resting for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with the sauce.
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