Name: Smoked Double-Thick Pork Chops on a Gas Grill
Total time: 2 h 35 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1 tablespoon ground fennel seed; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 4 bone-in blade-cut pork chops (20- to 24- ounces each), about 2 inches thick; 2 cups wood chips , preferably hickory

Why This Recipe Works

Double-thick pork chop recipes can be a tricky endeavor—grilling them over direct heat will char the exterior before the inside is cooked, while “slow and low" cooking makes them grey and pale and leaves the chops tasting steamed. We wanted our Smoked Double-Thick Pork Chops recipe to have great taste, good color, and tenderness—all from the grill. Cooking our pork chops over indirect heat made for juicy and tender meat, and adding some hickory chips infused the pork with a nice level of smoke flavor. Coating the chops in our recipe with a rub of brown sugar and potent herbs and spices helped produce a flavorful crust—quickly grilling the chops over direct heat at the end of cooking gave the crust a crisp texture and rich mahogany color.

Before You Begin

Ground fennel can be found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.

Instructions

Combine sugar, fennel, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper and rub mixture all over pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Soak wood chips in bowl of water to cover for 15 minutes, seal in foil packet (cutting vent holes in top), and place over primary burner. Turn all burners to high and close lid, keeping grill covered until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 15 minutes. Scrape cooking grate clean. Turn primary burner to medium and turn all other burners off, adjusting temperature of primary burner as needed to maintain average temperature of 275 degrees. Position chops over cooler part of grill, cover grill.

Arrange chops, bone side toward fire, on cooler side of grill. Cover, positioning lid vents directly over meat, and cook until chops register 145 degrees, 50 to 60 minutes (if your chops are less than 2 inches thick, start checking them for temperature after 30 minutes). Slide chops directly over fire and cook, uncovered, until well browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and let rest 20 minutes. Serve.