Grilled Pork Loin Chops with Honey Butter & Apples

Buy THICK Cut Loin Chops that are From the Shoulder

OR ideally cut them yourself by buying a whole pork loin or half a pork loin.

These chops look similar to a ribeye steak and will have a darker “cap” – these taste better than the ones closer to the sirloin which are very lean.

Here’s an image for reference:

If you’re cutting these yourself, keep them thicker too (2″+ is ideal) – they’ll be juicier in the end and the crust/browning will be far better.

Rub to Use for this Recipe

I used 3 tsp of my rosemary salt – I found the amount to use based on my dry brine calculator using a 0.5% salinity and 2.5 lbs of pork chops.

My base recipe is:

• 1 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
• 4 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1.5 teaspoon dried thyme*
• 1.5 teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dehydrated lemon peel

*Combine everything except for the salt in coffee grinder for 10+ presses.

If you want a “fresher” version from ThatDudeCanCook:

• 1 cup kosher salt (morton’s)
• 14 sprigs of rosemary stripped
• 8 sprigs sage stripped
• 3-5 cloves of garlic (3 if they are big and 5 if small)
• 1 lemon zested

*The above is combined in a food processor.

Salt All Sides of the Pork and then Put on a Wire Rack in Your Refrigerator

You want to do this for ~2 hours or ideally overnight.

This evenly salts the pork and dries out the surface which is key for superior browning the meat on the grill.

Get Your Grill to ~350F

Do not exceed this temperature as we’re trying to brown one side greatly before we flip and finish – not char or burn it.

I’m using my charcoal grill setup for direct heat BBQ with an elevated grill grate.

Once at temperature put the loin chops on the grates.

Allow to grill until the underside is browned greatly and then flip. In doing so you’ll likely notice some loin chops are browned better than others – move these so they can also brown better.

Once browned, flip.

Note: This flipped side won’t brown nearly as well before you reach ~140F.

Your presentation side is the BROWNED side when you serve.

Take off the grill at ~140-142F internal – through resting, it will carry over to 145F.

While Resting, Prep the Apple Butter Sauce

Grab 2-3 apples from your fridge – I used 3 small honey crisp and peeled & diced them up.

To a skillet over low heat add:

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp honey

Going lower prevents you from scorching the sugar and browning the butter. Both can be combined well at LOW heat.

Once combined, add all your apples and mix around in the honey butter.

Increase heat to medium-low until frothing. The apples will release lots of water – allow to cook until thickened and the apples are soft – this will take ~10-12 minutes.

Once softened, season with ~1/4 tsp salt and a splash of cider vinegar OR white vinegar (1-2 tsp).

Spoon the Apples + Honey Butter Over the Chops

Slice and enjoy!