Grilled Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

By Addie

Pork chops and honey is a natural pairing, and smoky char from a grill only enhances it—that is, if you can get the honey to stick to the meat. How on earth do you make a slippery honey glaze stay put? Easy: Our secret ingredient created a properly grippy surface for the glaze and promoted deliciously browned, perfectly cooked chops.

Why this recipe works:
We battled glazes that slid right off the chops, while chops appeared slightly lacquered required such lengthy grilling and basting times that the meat was as a dry as a bone. We rub our chops with a brown sugar mixture that caramelizes on the grill creating a rough surface for our super-reduced glaze to stick to. Oh, and the meat is perfectly cooked too.

Ingredients

• 4 (10-ounce) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, about 1 inch thick, trimmed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

Step 1

1. Cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through fat and connective tissue around outside of each chop. Combine sugar, salt, and pepper in bowl. Pat chops dry with paper towels and rub with sugar mixture.


2. Whisk vinegar and cornstarch in small saucepan until no lumps remain. Stir in honey, mustard, thyme, and cayenne and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until glaze is reduced to 1/4 cup, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium-low.


4. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chops on cool part of grill and cook (covered if using gas) until meat registers 140 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Brush chops with glaze and grill, glazed side down, over hot part of grill until caramelized, about 1 minute. Repeat with second side of chops. Transfer chops to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze. Serve.
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Getting the Glaze to Cling:

REDUCE:
Thin glaze runs off the chop in the heat of the grill. Simmering the glaze until it’s thick and sticky helps it cling.

RUB:
Smooth chops offer nothing for a glaze to grab. A sugar rub melts into a bumpy, caramelized crust as the chops grill, which gives the glaze a hold.

BRUSH:
The chops cook over indirect heat until almost done. Then they’re brushed with glaze and get a fast, hot sear; the glaze never has time to melt off.