In almost any neighborhood on any given night during the summer, you can smell the aroma of one of your neighbors grilling out. That and soft green grass are two of my favorite things of summer.

One of my favorite things to grill on hot summer nights are honey grilled pork chops. They are a great change up from the usual burgers, dogs, and beef. Plus these are simple and quick to make.

Honey Grilled Pork Chops

2 ea boneless pork chops, at least 1″ thick

2-4 Tbsp pork chop rub (see recipe)

2 Tbsp creamed honey

When selecting pork chops, look for ones that deeper red in color as opposed to pale. Sure it’s “the other white meat” but you want chops with the most color. That’s a tip Chris Lilly gave at a recent cooking class and he knows his pork.

For the “creamed honey”, this is a specially crystallized honey. It’s not a mix of honey and cream. If you can’t find it locally, you can just use a good local honey.

Season all sides of the chops with the Pork Chop Rub. I made this rub specifically for pork chops following the section in Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book on creating your own dry rub. It will make about a cup and will keep for 6 months in an airtight container.

NMT Pork Chop Rub

1/4 c white sugar

1/4 c turninado sugar

1/4 c smoked paprika

2 T garlic salt

2 T kosher salt

1 t black pepper, smoked

1 t cayenne pepper

1 t cumin

1/4 t allspice

1/2 t dried thyme

Get your grill cooking with direct heat at 350 to 375f. Grill the chops on the first side for 2 minutes. Flip and grill the second side for two minutes (now at 4 minutes total cooking time).

Flip back to the first side and grill for two more minutes (6 minutes total). At the very end of those two minutes, glaze some of the creamed honey on both chops. Flip, glaze again, and let finish cooking for 2 minutes (8 minutes total at this point).

At two minutes check the internal temp and it should be around 140-145f. If so, pull and let rest for 10 minutes. If not, switch to indirect heat (move to the side of grill and roast it) until it hits 140-145f.

These are crispy and a little sticky on the outside and juicy & tender on the inside!