Thick-cut pork chops are perfection on a grill because striking grill marks are possible without yielding a dry, tough hunk of meat.  A quick brining maximizes the juiciness and produces an extremely tender pork chop.  Then, drawing from my southwestern roots, I combined cayenne pepper and cocoa powder for a rich rub with a bit of a kick.  A quick sear on the grill for artful grill marks with a finish in the smoker results in a delightfully smokey, rich pork chop.

First, the pork chops.  Use thick-cut pork chops (~3″) trimming any fat from the edges.

Next the brine.  Dissolve 2 teaspoons of salt in 2 quarts of water and add 2 tablespoons of red chili flakes.  Brine the pork chops at room temperature for about an hour.

Now for the rub – it’s an easy formula. 1 tablespoon of each:  cocoa powder, dark brown sugar, and cayenne powder.  After removing the chops from the brine, dry them and brush them with a spot of olive oil.  The oil holds the rub on the chops.  Next, dredge the chops in the rub covering all sides.

Place the chops on a blazing hot grill.  I typically wipe the grill grates with grapeseed oil just prior to grilling.  After about 2 minutes, turn the chops a quarter turn – think 10:00 and 2:00.  This produces striking diamond grill marks.  After 2 more minutes, flip the chops repeating the quarter turn after 2 additional minutes.

At this point, the exterior of the chops is cooked sealing in all of the juices.  I finish cooking to an internal temp of 145F in a 225F smoker.  I like the bold flavor of oak with the cocoa, so I use white oak for smoking.  It doesn’t take long for the pork chops to finish cooking – do not over cook!