Grilled Thin-Cut Pork Chops

By Venzie

To ensure that our Grilled Thin-Cut Pork Chops would brown quickly, we partially froze them to eliminate excess moisture from the exterior. Salting them first prevented them from drying out and allowed us to skip brining. A combination of softened butter and brown sugar spread over the chops resulted in a golden-brown crust when they came off the grill.

Ingredients

• 6 (3-ounce) bone-in rib or center-cut pork chops, 1/2 inch thick, trimmed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation

Step 1

Serves 4 to 6

To prevent the chops from curling, cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through the fat around the outside of each raw chop.


1. FREEZE CHOPS Pat chops dry with paper towels and rub with salt. Arrange on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and freeze until chops are firm, at least 30 minutes but no more than 1 hour. Combine 2 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and pepper in small bowl; set aside. Mix remaining butter, chives, mustard, and zest in another small bowl and refrigerate until firm, about 15 -minutes. (Butter-chive mixture can be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day.)

2. GRILL CHOPS Pat chops dry with paper towels. Spread softened butter-sugar mixture evenly over both sides of each chop. Grill, covered, over hot fire until well browned and meat registers 145 degrees, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer chops to platter and top with chilled butter-chive mixture. Tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.