If you have never cooked breaded meats on the grill, now is the time to try! My grilled breaded pork chops are tender and juicy and have a great crunch on the outside from the bread crumbs. The only tricky bit is to cook the meat before you burn the bread and I know just how to do that.
Hello, all!
School is just about out here and my daughter is doing all the end school fun stuff this week. I wish I had end of school fun stuff! But instead I have gorgeous warm weather and tasty outdoor recipes to try. Which isn’t so bad. š
This particular recipe comes courtesy of my dad who asked ‘why don’t you have any pork chop recipes?’ Hi, dad! Here’s one! And my in-laws who came to visit recently and got to test out the recipe. Thank you for helping and here it is!
With all that gorgeous weather and summer warmth comes more summer grilling! And today I have something a little different since for this recipe we are both breading AND grilling.
I know what you’re thinking. ‘Oh, no it’s going to burn! š® ‘ But trust me. We’ve got this!
What are the secrets to this recipe?
There are a few secrets to making this dish and doing it right. Nothing difficult. Just keep these in mind and you’ll be breading and grilling like a pro!
- Pound the chops thin. By pounding the chops, you will have meat which will cook quickly and finish before the outside burns.
- Use high heat. You do want the breading to get all toasty so you want to have a fairly hot grill so that the bread will toast as the meat cooks.
- Brine the chops. This is a secret for ALL pork chop recipes which use a dry heat. By salting the chops ahead of time, they will stay juicy and have better flavor.
Why grill AND bread?
- Tender and juicy. The coating protects the meat from getting tough and drying out.
- Tasty crunch. Isn’t that a reason we all love breaded food?
- Lots of toasty bread flavor. The grill turns up the toasty flavor to 11!
- Cool kitchen. Move the cooking outside in the summer when you can.
- Easy clean up. No pots and pans, just your prep area.
How to make this
To make grilled and breaded pork chops, first pound the meat thin then dip the chops in olive oil and dredge with a bread crumb and parmesan mixture. Grill over a hot fire until cooked through.
1. Pound thin
The first thing you are going to do is to remove the ring of fat around the outside of the chop. This ring of fat makes the chops difficult to pound thin and means you would have this (hidden by the breading) unpleasant fat to deal with when you’re eating.
Then set up your cutting board with a kitchen town underneath, which muffles the noise and keeps your surface stable.
Once you’re ready, I recommend a plastic bag since they’re stronger than plastic wrap and less likely to tear. Put the chop in the plastic bag, add some water (just a little – it keeps the chop from sticking to the plastic), and put it all on your cutting board. Pound each chop until it’s no more than 1/2 inch thick, flipping the chops over and pounding both sides until you’re done.
2. Brine
Take the thin chops and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Be fairly liberal on the salt! You’ll want to let the chops brine for at least 30 minutes, though an hour or more and up to a day will be even better.
3. Bread and Grill
The breading here is very simple. Just dip in olive oil, let it drip off, and then dredge in your panko and parmesan. Done!
Now all that’s left is to grill them up. A couple minutes a side and they’ll be cooked.
Exactly how hot your grill should be, depends on how hot your grill can get. I grill on high with a gas grill. Your grill might be hotter and you’ll need to bring it down to medium high or medium. The idea is to have a good, browned crust with dark grill lines by the time the pork is cooked through.
4. Make the sauce
While your pork is brining, put together the sauce. Chop, slice, mince, measure until you have everything prepped and in your mixing bowl. Stir it up and it’s ready for the pork.
Tip: Not a fan of olives? The tomato salad I serve with my grilled breaded chicken breast pairs wonderfully with the pork as well!
If you try my recipe for Grilled Breaded Pork Chops, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy Grilling, Annemarie
Grilled Breaded Pork Chops
Ingredients
Breaded Pork Chops
- 4 bone-in pork loin chops
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Black Olive and Basil Sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 1 tbsp minced shallots
- 1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
Bread and Grill the Pork Chops
- Trim the pork chops of the fat around the edge of each chop.
- Coat a pork chop with a little water and then either cover the chop with plastic wrap or put it in a plastic bag. Pound the chop until it is no more than 1/2 inch thick. Repeat for the remaining chops.
- Sprinkle the chops with kosher salt and black pepper. Allow the chops to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- Heat the grill on high.
- Set up two wide bowls - one with olive oil and one with the panko and parmesan. Next, put a cooling rack over a baking sheet and place that nearby.
- Pat each chop dry with a towel, then dip it into the olive oil. Let the excess drip off then put the chop into the bowl with the panko and press the crumbs onto each side. Put the breaded chop onto the cooling rack. Repeat for all the pork chops.
- Cook the chops over high heat on the grill for 2 minutes on the first side. Then turn the chops and cook until the pork is done, which is 145F and about 2-3 minutes more.
Make the Olive and Basil Sauce
- Combine all the prepared sauce ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and serve with the pork.
Rob Wazny says
I believe you are suggesting to cover the chops with water for the brine process. It doesn’t say that so leaves me wondering if I’m just supposed to let salt soak in without water. ?
justalittlebitofbacon says
Hello! This recipe calls for a ‘dry brine’ – which means salting and letting the meat rest. So, yes, you let the salt soak in without water. It turns out to be very effective and neater/simpler than a wet brine.
Gregory Propps says
New skills for me, new thrills for my crowd.
This recipe is wonderful and easy to prepare.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Great! I’m you enjoyed the recipe!
Emma says
What a great recipe! Using quality Parmesan cheese is a key ingredient so don’t skip it. Cooked the pork to 145 and it was perfectly done and moist.
justalittlebitofbacon says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And, yes, the flavor of the parm does make the dish.