If you're looking for a simple barbecue recipe, then you'll love these Butterflied BBQ Pork Chops. Chef Tom fires up the Kamado Joe Kettle Joe and utilizes the SloRoller to smoke the chops before cranking up the heat for a seared finish!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Butterflying the double-thick pork chop into one large, flat piece gives it more surface area for seasoning and smoke exposure than cooking it as a single thick chop would
- Brining overnight before smoking seasons the meat all the way through and helps it hold onto moisture over the low, slow smoke stage
- Smoking first with the SloRoller in place, then removing it to sear directly over hot coals, builds gentle smoke flavor before adding a hard char at the very end
- Brushing on the sauce immediately after the chops come off the grill lets residual heat help it set into the crust rather than sitting on top as a cold, wet layer
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
823
Your BBQ game is about to reach new heights with this delicious Butterflied BBQ Pork Chops. recipe Our Chef Tom shows you how to slow-smoke the chops on a Kettle Joe with the SloRoller, then crank up the heat for a beautifully seared finish.
Ingredients
- 3 - 3.5 lb Creekstone Farms Natural Duroc Pork Loin
-
1 cup Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine
- 2 quarts water
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
-
Firebug Mild Grillin’ Sauce
-
Butterflied Pork Chop Kit
Get the entire kit
Directions
- Slice the pork loin into 4 equal sized large pork chops.
- Butterfly the pork chops. One side of the pork chop will be flatter and one will be more rounded. Using a sharp knife, slice down the center of the pork chop from the rounded side, toward the flat side. Do not cut all the way through the pork chop. Slice just far enough to allow the double thick chop to butterfly open into one large chop.
- Combine 1 cup Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine with 2 quarts water in a Briner Mini 4 quart Briner Bucket and whisk. Add the butterflied pork chops to the brine and soak overnight.
- Build a hot charcoal bed in the fire box of the Kamado Joe Kettle Joe Charcoal Grill. Set up the grill for smoking with the slow roller in place. Stabilize the temperature at 225°F.
- Remove the butterflied pork chops from the brine. Rinse brine from the surface under cool water. Pat dry.
- Season pork chops first with the Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning.
- Smoke the pork chops at 225°F until the internal temperature reaches 125°F, about 45 minutes.
- Remove the pork chops from the grill and cover loosely with foil.
- Remove the grill grates and slow roller. Add a chimney of hot charcoal to the coal bed. Place the grill grates on the lowest setting.
- Return the pork chops to the grill grates and grill to an internal temperature of 140°F, flipping to brown both sides.
- Remove the pork from the grill and immediately brush with a thin layer of Firebug Mild Grillin’ Sauce.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why butterfly the pork chop into one large, flat piece instead of cooking it as a double-thick chop?
Butterflying it open increases the surface area exposed to seasoning and smoke, and it also helps the chop cook more evenly than a thick, double portion would.
Why brine the chops overnight before smoking them?
An overnight soak in the Butcher House Brine seasons the meat all the way through and helps it retain moisture over the low, slow smoke that follows a much longer brine than a quick-cooking cut like this would strictly need, but it builds deeper flavor.
Why smoke the chops with the SloRoller in place, then remove it to finish over direct coals?
The SloRoller diffuses heat for gentle, indirect smoking during the first stage. Removing it and adding fresh hot charcoal afterward turns the same grill into a direct-sear station, so the chops pick up smoke flavor first and char last.
Why brush on the sauce immediately after the chops come off the grill?
Applying it while the chops are still hot lets residual heat help the sauce tack onto the surface, rather than brushing it onto meat that's already cooled and having it sit as a wet, unset layer.
What internal temperature should the pork chops actually reach?
This recipe pulls them at 140°F, but USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for whole-muscle pork is 145°F. Continue cooking to at least 145°F rather than pulling at 140°F.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 a low oven can approximate the initial smoke stage (minus the smoke flavor), and a hot cast iron skillet can handle the sear; replicating the full two-stage setup indoors takes more effort than on one grill.
Recipe Highlights
Butterflied single chop: Increases surface area for seasoning and even cooking.
Overnight brine: Seasons the meat through and helps retain moisture.
Smoke-then-sear method: Builds flavor before adding char at the end.
Hot-off-the-grill saucing: Uses residual heat to help the glaze set.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 823
- Carbs
- grams
- Protein
- 93 grams
- Fat
- 47 grams
- Sodium
- 411 milligrams