Smoked Pork Chops on a Weber Kettle

I have eaten some BAD pork chops in my day. I have cooked some BAD pork chops in my day. So have you. So has your dad. (Oh c’mon, let’s all just be honest, ok?) They’re easy to dry out, difficult to get just right. So let’s work on that, ok? Because man, when they’re good, they are SO good.

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Are you ready? Let’s knock this out of the park!

Here is how to smoke some extraordinarily amazing pork chops on your Weber charcoal grill!

Prepare the Pork Chops for Smoking

Follow these simple steps to get your chops ready for smoking:

Use Thick Cut Pork Chops
Marinade or Brine
Dry Rub

Let’s start with the pork chops. You are going to want to use cups that are at least 1/2 inch thick and the thicker the better. if you can find chops that are 1.5 inches thick then you are going to be really happy with how these turn out.

Thin pork chops, less than 1/2 inch, cook too fast and dry out too easy. Thin chops are better suited for Hot and Fast grilling over direct heat instead of slow smoking.

Once you have the right size pork chops you are going to need to get some moisture and flavor into them. To accomplish this you are going to soak them in the same marinade we use for pork steaks or a simple salt/sugar brine. Let the pork chops soak for at LEAST one hour and up to four hours if you have the time.

Pork Steak Marinade (Great for Pork Chops Too!)

1 cup Apple juice
1 cup of regular Coke
1 cup of regular Sprite
1/4 cup Salt
1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 tbs Black Pepper

If you are short on ingredients, or just want a different flavor profile, then you can soak the chops in cheap Italian dressing. The chops will still be tasty but wont be quite as amazing as if you used the pork marinade above.

After the pork chops have marinated, rinse them off, pat dry with paper towels and season liberally with our All Purpose Dry Rub. This is a savory and sweet dry rub with a low salt content. It is perfect for smoking pork chops since the chops have plenty of salt from the brine/marinade.

All Purpose Dry Rub (Great for Smoked Pork Chops)

1/2c Paprika
1/4c Brown Sugar
1/4c White Sugar
1/4c Granulated Garlic
2 tbs Onion Powder
2 tbs Sea or Kosher Salt
1 tbs Black Pepper
1 tbs Chili Powder
1 tbs Oregano
2 tsp Cayenne

Prepare Your Kettle for Smoking with Low Indirect Heat

Set up your grill for indirect cooking and get some wood.

You will need about 30 charcoal briquettes either arranged in a charcoal basket or banked on one side of the grill. Use a paraffin cube, tumbleweed, torch, etc to light one side of the charcoal.

Set you lower air vent to 20% open and leave the top vent completely open.

While you’re doing waiting for the coals to light, go ahead and pour yourself a glass of something cold and refreshing.

As soon as a few coals have been lit you are ready to start smoking those pork chops!

Smoke the Pork Chops

Place the pork chops far away from the heat.

Throw a handful of apple or maple chips on your coals and close that lid. Keep the outlet air vent directly over the pork chops.

You’ll want to smoke these at around 225 for about an hour so a single load of charcoal should be enough to get you through this cook.

When the chops reach an internal temperature of 130-135F it is time to add the last layer of flavor by applying a sauce or a glaze. I highly recommend coating the chops with our Award Winning Rib Baste but you could also go with a pineapple glaze, melted apple preserves or your favorite BBQ sauce.

The pork chops are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145F. Keep an eye on the temperature as these cook quickly on the smoker.

It used to be that 160F was the recommended safe temperature for pork but that guidance was updated a few years ago. The FDA now says that cooking pork to 145F, followed by a three minute rest, is perfectly safe.

Not only is 145F perfectly safe for pork, it is a heck of a lot more juicy, tender and delicious than pork that has been cooked to 160F!