Smoked Pork Chops on a Pellet Grill

Smoked pork chops might be the most underrated cook on a pellet grill. Done right -- thick-cut, bone-in, smoked low and finished hot -- they eat like a pork ribeye: juicy, smoky, and rosy-pink at the center with a browned, crusty edge. Done wrong -- thin chops left too long at low heat -- they turn into pork-flavored cardboard. The difference comes down to two decisions you make before the grill is even lit: the thickness of the chop and the temperature you pull it at.

This recipe works on any pellet grill -- Traeger®, Pit Boss, Camp Chef, Z Grills, or whatever brand is on your patio. The method is identical on all of them.

Buy the Right Chop (This Is Half the Recipe)

Go to the meat counter and ask for thick-cut, bone-in chops, 1.5 to 2 inches thick -- either rib chops or center-cut loin chops. Each one should weigh 10 to 14 ounces.

Why it matters:

• Thickness buys you smoke time. A thick chop can spend 40 to 50 minutes at 225°F absorbing smoke before it approaches its finished temperature. A thin chop is done in 15 minutes -- before it tastes like it ever met a pellet grill.
• The bone insulates. Meat next to the bone cooks more gently, giving you a juicier chop and a built-in handle.
• Thin chops dry out. Full stop. Chops under an inch thick have almost no margin for error at any temperature, and the low-and-slow-then-sear method actively works against them. If thin chops are what you have, skip the smoke phase and cook them hot and fast at 400 to 450°F, a few minutes per side, pulling at 140 to 145°F.

The Brine Option

Modern pork is bred lean, and lean meat benefits from a brine. This step is optional -- a thick chop pulled at the right temperature will still be good without it -- but brined chops are noticeably juicier and seasoned all the way through.

Basic brine: Dissolve 1/4 cup kosher salt and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in 4 cups of cold water. Submerge the chops, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Longer than 4 hours risks a spongy texture. Rinse briefly, then pat the chops completely dry.

One important adjustment: if you brine, leave the salt out of the rub. The brine has already done the seasoning.

Seasoning and Grill Setup

Rub the chops with a little olive oil, then coat every surface -- including the fat edge -- with the rub: black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and salt (only if you skipped the brine). Let the seasoned chops sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes so they are not refrigerator-cold at the center when they hit the grates.

Meanwhile, set up the grill:

1. Fill the hopper with a fruit wood. Cherry pellets are the classic pairing for pork -- mild, slightly sweet, and they give the chops a beautiful mahogany color. Hickory works if you want a bolder, more traditional smokehouse flavor. Our wood pellet flavor guide breaks down every pairing.
2. Set the grill to 225°F and preheat for 15 minutes with the lid closed.

Step 1: Smoke at 225°F to 130°F Internal

Place the chops directly on the grates with a few inches between them and close the lid. At 225°F, thick chops take roughly 40 to 50 minutes to reach 130°F internal.

Start checking the temperature around the 35-minute mark. Insert an instant-read thermometer horizontally into the thickest part of the chop, keeping the tip away from the bone -- bone reads hotter than meat and will fool you into pulling early. A Thermapen One reads in about a second, which matters here because the window between perfect and overdone on a pork chop is only about 10 degrees. If you would rather monitor from the couch, see our best wireless meat thermometer picks.

Pull the chops at 130°F. They will look pale and unfinished. That is exactly right -- the sear fixes it.

Step 2: Sear to 140-145°F

Tent the chops loosely with foil on a sheet pan and crank the grill to its maximum setting, typically 450 to 500°F. Most pellet grills need 10 to 15 minutes to climb, and the chops rest comfortably while they wait.

When the grill is roaring, return the chops to the hottest part of the grates -- directly over the firepot on grills with a sear zone. Sear 1 to 2 minutes per side, flipping once, until the surface is browned and the internal temperature reads 140 to 145°F.

Then rest the chops for 5 to 10 minutes under loose foil. Carryover cooking carries them to, or just past, 145°F -- the USDA-recommended internal temperature for pork chops, which the USDA pairs with a 3-minute rest. That is the finish line: safe, and still juicy and blush-pink at the center. Pink at 145°F is normal and correct for whole-muscle pork; cooking chops onward to the 160s is how they end up gray and dry.

The Timeline at a Glance

Total cook time lands around 45 to 60 minutes, making this one of the fastest true smoke-and-sear cooks on a pellet grill -- a legitimate weeknight option if you brine the chops the night before or skip the brine entirely.

Troubleshooting

Chops turned out dry. Almost always one of three causes: the chops were too thin, they cooked past 150°F, or both. Buy thicker chops and trust the thermometer over the clock.

No smoke flavor. Thin chops or a too-short smoke phase. The 40-to-50-minute ride to 130°F is where all the flavor happens -- do not rush it by turning the grill up.

Gray, bland exterior. The chops were wet when they hit the sear. Pat them dry after brining, and make sure the grill is fully up to temperature before the sear -- a 350°F "sear" just steams the surface.

Temperature spiked past 145°F during the sear. The chops went back on before you checked them, or stayed a side too long. Check the internal temp after the first flip; thick chops climb about 5 degrees per minute over high heat.

What to Serve With Smoked Pork Chops

Apple sauce is traditional for a reason -- pork and fruit are natural partners, which is also why cherry pellets work so well here. Smoked mac and cheese, grilled corn, and roasted potatoes all ride along at 225°F if you plan the grate space. If you are building a bigger cook day, these chops are an easy add-on alongside a smoked chuck roast, since both start at the same 225°F pit temperature.

Final Thoughts

Smoked pork chops on a pellet grill come down to a simple formula: thick-cut and bone-in, 225°F until the center hits 130°F, a hard sear to 140-145°F, and a short rest to finish at the USDA's 145°F. The brine is optional, the thermometer is not. Master this cook and you have a one-hour pellet grill dinner that outclasses most steakhouse pork chops. When you are ready to scale the same low-and-slow instincts up to bigger cuts, our complete pellet grill smoking guide is the roadmap.

Explore more: Complete Pellet Grill Smoking Guide | Wood Pellet Flavor Guide | All Recipes