Anything that is grilled provides you with that incomparable, smoky flavor that is so enjoyable but is also healthy. Aside from grilling being a relatively fast way to cook pork chops, it also ensures that the calories and fat are much less compared to fried foods.
You should marinate your pork chops for at least two hours to at most overnight. As for the grilling time, unlike seafood, hamburgers and chicken, which have to be fully cooked to ensure food safety, you need not worry so much about cooking the pork chops fully but they should not be rare or you will fail to kill the bacteria. For pork chops that are ½ inch to ¾ inch in thickness, you can grill them until somewhat pink in the middle, which is about 3 to 4 minutes per side for a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. You can check the center of the meat with fork to determine whether the pork chop is ready to eat.
Make sure to preheat your grill and to not include that in the cooking times, this usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. This will make sure that any bacteria will be killed. If your grill is appropriately heated, it will sear the meat on contact, it will reduce the possibility that the food will stick to the grill, and it will also make sure that the insides will remain moist and juicy.
When you want to use charcoal for grilling, make sure to utilize lump charcoal that are free of additives. The usual briquettes often have saw dust, wood scraps, borax, sodium nitrate, coal dust, and possibly lighter fluid or paraffin. Also for health reasons, brush off any debris on the grills by using a wire grill brush. This is easy to do if the grill has been preheated. To prevent sticking, you may rub the grills with a paper towel that was soaked in vegetable oil.
For food safety, keep in mind the basic rules such as preventing cross-contamination by utilizing different plates, utensils and cutting boards for cooked and raw foods. Never employ the marinating liquid for basting. Instead set aside some marinade for basting or you can boil the marinating fluid first before using it for basting.
If you want your grilled pork chops to be as healthy as possible, you also have to consider the marinades and rubs. In general, marinades and rubs are healthy and you will only have to watch the amount of salt that is included. One example of a healthy marinade for pork chops is the Pirate Marinade that is made up of canola oil, onions, orange juice, reduced-sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, red-wine vinegar, dried thyme, ground allspice, freshly ground pepper, freshly grated orange zest, hot sauce, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves. An example of a healthy rub for grilled pork chops is the Garlic Lover’s Rub, which is made up of minced garlic, kosher salt, stone-ground mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, freshly grated lemon zest, and freshly ground pepper.
