How to Cook Pork Chops so They Don’t Dry Out

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

Pork chops used to always seem so dry to me. And BBQ pork chops were a once-in-a-while, so-so meal for our family for decades.

Until last year.

I changed the way I did 2 things and the results?

Well let’s just say we have these juicy, tender, delicious pork chops 2-3 times a month.

BBQ pork chops have become one of our favorite meals. Granted, part of the allure is the total ease of preparing and cooking them, but man are these pork chops tasty too.

What Makes These Barbecue Pork Chops so Good?

What 2 things changed last year?

1. We raised our own pasture-raised pork. (But you don’t need to be a pig farmer to get your hands on some farm-raised pork. Ask your local butchers; they’ll point you in the right direction. And you can also just do step 2 on the chops you grab at the store; you’ll love it.)
2. I started using my own from-scratch BBQ sauce. (Stick with me here and keep scrolling. Trust me. It’s easy. )

What are Pork Chops?

Many hog breeds are bred to have extra long loins (go here for some tips on choosing a breed)… much longer than my lame drawing below (yeah, no one said I was an artist)… so picture the loin about twice the length as I drew it…

Because they have been bred this way, one pig can have up to 17 ribs, (compared to cows and sheep, which have 13).

And there are a lot of options for a butcher with this wonderful long section. The entire pork loin could be turned into roasts or it could be cut into individual pork chops (our focus today) or thinner pork cutlets (I’ll share a delicious recipe for those soon too).

Then there’s the tenderlion (the rear of the loin section) and the baby-back ribs (from the upper ribcage of the loin). Some really good stuff comes from a pig’s back, no? There’s even the fat back, which can be used for lard.

 

How to Cook Pork Chops so They Don’t Dry Out

• Marinating in BBQ sauce does wonderful things to a pork chop. Make your own BBQ sauce, and you can even tweak it to exactly the way your family likes it. Use my recipe below and add 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper if your family likes it hot. Or more maple syrup and less tomato sauce if your family likes it sweet… you get the idea. (See the final tip below for a really neat way to customize the BBQ sauce.)
• Never jab a fork into your chops until you’re ready to eat them. You’ll loose wonderful juices from the meat as it cooks. Instead, use a good pair of kitchen tongs (like these) while you’re preparing your pork chops.
• If you’re baking your pork chops, be sure to sear them first (not necessary for grilling)… just brown each side for a few minutes in a hot pan on the stove (I use cast iron, with a tablespoon of bacon grease) before baking them at 400 degrees F. This helps them hold in the juices and not dry out in the oven.
• Don’t overcook your chops! Because pork chops are such a lean cut, they cook quickly. Sadly, if they’re overcooked even by a few minutes they are prone to be dry, and/or tough, chewy, and not so appealing. (Or consider slow-cooking them. My slow-roasted chop recipe is coming to the blog soon.)
• To know when your chops are done, insert an instant-read thermometer (this is the one I use) into the thickest part of the chop. According to the USDA, pork chops should be cooked to an internal temp of 145 degrees.
• This one is kinda crazy but so good… If I have any juices left from my fermented blueberries I will paint those on, right over my BBQ sauce, before marinating the chops. You could also use the fermented blueberry juice in place of some or all of the ketchup in the BBQ sauce recipe.