Given the many variables involved with carryover cooking, however, we’re recommending a pull temp of 135☏ (57☌) to ensure proper doneness. The best pull temp with our grill was about 133☏ (56☌). After testing multiple chops, we consistently saw an 11-13☏ (6-7☌) rise in temperature. With the combination of a high heat cooking method and a smaller cut of meat, the temperature increase we see during the rest will be quick but still fairly high. Since a pork chop is much smaller than a cut like a shoulder roast, there is less meat for the carryover cooking to heat up, so it tends to have a less significant effect. Cooking over high heat means more carryover. Not only will the heat be moving through the meat quickly, but there will be more of it in the near the surface to distribute through the whole piece. A high-temperature cooking method-like grilling-causes the heat energy to move very quickly through the meat. The intensity of the heat energy in the cooking method.The rise in temperature after cooking is affected by two main factors: To estimate what temperature to pull the meat from the grill, we need to understand the carryover cooking we expect. Learn more about the food-safe temperature for pork in our post about safe pork temperatures. If the internal temperature goes too far beyond 145☏ (63☌) the meat quickly dries out and gets tough to chew. Carryover cooking will cause the temperature to continue rising after being removed from the heat source, so knowing when to pull the pork chops off the grill is critical. For food safety, pork must be cooked to an internal temperature of 145☏ (63☌).

Keeping your pork from drying out, though, doesn’t mean you can cook it as rare as you like. Keeping the chops moving in this way will help keep them from overcooking and drying out. Give the same time, and flip again, trying to align the grill lines that have partially formed on the chops with the grill grate. The chops won’t look flawless, but they’ll cook a heck of a lot more evenly. Score the fat in two or three places with a sharp knife. The layer of fat around the chop’s exterior shrinks faster than the meat inside, squeezing it and causing it to buckle. Pork chops have a tendency to buckle as they cook, making it hard to maintain even contact with the pan. Instead, give your chops about 60–90 seconds per side, then flip them multiple times. Get your grill ripping hot so that you can get those tasty Maillard-browned grill lines of charry goodness, but don’t leave your chop on one side all the way until it’s halfway done, and then flip it. To combat the drying tendency, it’s best to keep your chops moving as you cook them. If you want a rich and fatty chop, you can still get one, but it will have to come from a heritage breed of pig like Berkshire.īecause of that market-imposed leanness, pork chops are often overcooked and dry. The fear of fat and cholesterol led to the breeding of pigs with little intramuscular fat and therefore leaner chops. This is because of the way that (misplaced) consumer demand shaped hog-breeding practices in the USA. Now that may seem incredible, as ribeyes are deeply marbled and known for their fatty richness, but modern chops are actually quite lean and have only a hint of the spinalis cap muscle that crowns a ribeye. Pork chops are most often cut from the pork loin and are the pig equivalent of ribeye steaks. Pork Chop Finish temp: 145☏ Pork Chop Grilling Basics

Pork chops on the grill