Smoked Pork Chops
On July 15, 2019 (Updated October 25, 2023)
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These smoked pork chops are the perfect weeknight meal that doesn’t require a lot of prep time or fuss. They’re smoky, juicy, and incredibly tender. All you need is smoke and some good sweet rub to experience the best smoked chops of your life!
The Best Smoked Pork Chops
These pork chops are incredible. In fact, I’ll go as far as saying they are the BEST smoked pork chops ever. They’re easy to make and only require a few ingredients. In my opinion, a simple pork chop doesn’t need a lot of fluff. They only need some good rub and smoke. Pork is delicious, and when smoking chops, you want to be able to taste the pork and smoke together. Generously rub on some seasoning, and you’ve got a simple, yet amazingly flavorful chop.
I recommend apple wood pellets for these chops, because apple and pork are a match made in BBQ heaven. (Other good options include any fruit wood, maple, or pecan). Add in my Hey Grill Hey Signature Sweet Rub, and these chops turn out sweet, spicy, smoky, and savory. Plus, smoking a good thick chop ensures they turn out juicy and incredibly tender. The texture is almost buttery, and they basically melt in your mouth. Don’t have a bottle of Sweet Rub on hand? Make it yourself with my recipe for Best Sweet Rub for Pork and Chicken.
These chops are perfect as-is. They don’t need any fancy sauces or dips. But if you’re like me and grew up eating pork with apples, then having a side of chunky, homemade applesauce will really balance out this chop. If you want to get a little saucy, my Apple Jalapeno BBQ Sauce is crazy good as well.
Bone-In vs. Boneless Pork Chops
Pork chops are a lean cut of pork that comes from the loin, the portion of the pig that runs from the shoulder to the hip. Both bone-in and boneless pork chops come from this same muscle; the only difference being whether the bone has been removed or not. There are slight differences in flavor, with many believing bone-in tastes fuller and sweeter due to the addition of the bone and extra fat in the cut.
Bone-in pork chops come available as blade chops, rib chops, sirloin chops, and center cut loin chops. For smoking, I recommend using rib chops or loin chops. Rib chops are the “traditional” chop sold at the grocer, but my absolute favorite for smoking is the center cut chop. Both will smoke well and have plenty of flavor.
One question I get asked often is whether you should by bone-in or boneless pork chops to grill or smoke. Honestly, there is no right or wrong answer to this question, and this often comes down to personal preference.
For smoking, you can use either bone-in or boneless because smoking chops uses a low and slow method. I always recommend trying both at some point to help you decide what is your favorite. Cooking BBQ should be a fun experiment with flavor and personal preference, so make both and see what your tastes buds like best. Occasionally bone-in can cost less, but boneless chops are readily available at your local store. Also note that if you don’t have a preference between bone-in vs. boneless pork chops, you’ll end up with a bone you’re not going to eat.
How to Cook Smoked Pork Chops
So you’ve picked out your bone-in or boneless pork chops. You’ve got your smoker prepped and ready, and you’re ready to cook up some delicious smoked pork chops, eh? Here are the steps you need to take to get them packed with flavor and totally juicy.
- Preheat your smoker. Preheat you smoker (I use a Camp Chef SmokePro) to 225 degrees F with apple, maple, or pecan wood.
- Season the chops. Drizzle olive oil on all sides of the pork chops and evenly season with my Signature Sweet Rub.
- Smoke those pork chops! Place the chops on the smoker and cook until the internal temp reads 145 degrees F with a reliable meat thermometer (approximately 60-90 minutes).
- Tent, rest, and serve. Remove the pork chops from the smoker. Place them on a plate and tent with foil. Rest for 5-10 minutes and serve as-is, or with a side of apple sauce or some sweet BBQ sauce.
That’s it! These are crazy easy to make, and are an excellent worry-free dinner option for your busy weekday evenings.
How Long to Smoke Pork Chops
A good, thick pork chop takes anywhere from 60-90 minutes to cook thoroughly. As always, when smoking meat I recommend you cook to temperature, not to time. It used to be believed that you had to cook pork to 175 degrees F internal temperature for it to be safe to consume, but those days are long gone. You can now safely cook pork to 145 degrees F; the optional temperature for peak flavor and moisture. If you see a little pink in the center but the thermometer reads 145, don’t fret! The pork is cooked throughout, and you’re good to go.
The time it takes to cook your chops is going to vary slightly depending on what smoker you use, how thick your chops are, and how hot your grill is. If you reach the 60-minute point and your chops aren’t at 145 degrees yet, you can always spritz the pork chops with apple juice to keep the outside from turning rubbery or leathery while they finish cooking through.
More Pork Recipes
Is pork what’s for dinner tonight? If so, I have a handful of pork recipes on my site that are full of great flavor:
Smoked Pork Ribs
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Beer and Mustard Glaze
Stuffed Pork Chops with Browned Butter Apple Filling
Smoked Pork Chops Recipe
This recipe was created for you, backyard griller! Here at Hey Grill Hey, we’re in the business of helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes here on my website (browse the Homepage for inspiration) on Instagram, YouTube or our Facebook Page.
Smoked Pork Chops
Video
Ingredients
- 4 center cut pork loin chops, at least 1 inch thick
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Signature Sweet Rub
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F. I prefer to use apple when smoking pork, but any fruit woods, maple, or pecan will also taste great with these pork chops.
- Drizzle olive oil on all sides of the pork chops.
- Evenly season pork chops on all sides with my sweet rub. The thicker your chops are, the more liberally you can season.
- Place the chops on the smoker, close the lid, and cook until the internal temperature of the chops reads 145 degrees F. This process can take anywhere from 60-90 minutes, depending on how thick your pork chops are.
- Remove the chops from the smoker. Place on a plate and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot as-is or with a side of applesauce or your favorite BBQ sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made these before with thick chops and they are incredible! The store only had the thin cut today. What would you change given that restriction? Thanks in advance!
Buy a whole pork loin and cut them yourself as thick as you want. You will save a lot of money.
I have done these 4 or 5 times now and always a big hit. I used the sweet rub with one change, I leave the cayenne out and add a bit of chili powder instead. I also brine them. Mouthwatering perfect!
Awesome! Smoked rib eye boneless chops for 1 hr 15 minutes using Pecan on my Grilla OG.So flavorful, juicy and tender. Such a great result for so little effort!
Have used this recipe as a base several times now, and always delicious! Question though: how does the olive oil affect the cooking? Is it used to prevent drying out? Or would the olive oil prevent some smoke from being absorbed?
It’s basically just a binder to help the seasoning stick to the chops. You can leave it out if you’d like!
I smoked 4 of these tonight that was over an inch thick. My guest raved over them. Best pork chops ever. Sided the chops with my grilled granny smith rings cut to about 1/2 inch thick grilled on both sides with the same sweet rub with a little extra dark brown sugar added. It was a big hot with the chops.
I have the nice thick pork chops I got from Costco just like you show in the picture. I was wanting to stuff them with my cooking time be any different?
I’m sure it will be a little different. Make sure to keep track of internal temperature instead of relying on time!
I smoke the 9 pack thick chops from Costco all the time. It’s usually under an hour.
I used your recipe on a new Traeger my son gave me for Christmas, The Spice Rub recipe was VERY good…and the bone-in 1″ chops turned out perfectly. The Best Chops grilled/smoked I have ever prepared, and my wife who normally does not prefer spicy rubs, loved it.
Followed the recipe, went 5 degree’s lower than suggested, came out absolutely perfect. Highly recommend this recipe.
Hi Susie made this tonight on my Camp Chef Woodwind using cherry pellets. I made 4 chops 1/2 thick put in a brine i use for 4 hours. My wife is a picky eater so I was worried but not only did she loved the way the came out she ate 2 of them with no apple sauce on the side. They were so juicy and tasty we didn’t use any of my homemade BBQ sauce . Thanks so much Joe.
The recipe says af least 1 inch. I have 3/4 inch chops. Would you change anything other than the time it takes for then to cook?
No, those will work fine.