Fire up your grill, summer is here! Make your first grilled meal of the season easy Grilled Pork Chops. But not just any chops on the grill… stuffed pork chops.
Is it just me or did it seem like winter lasted ridiculously long this year? In fact, today was the first day it really felt like summer, only there was no spring. It went from cold to hot overnight. Literally.
Best Pork Chops on the Grill Recipe
Even though we grill year-round, summer heat has me craving delicious grilled meals. We love hanging around the deck and chatting about our day while we prepare dinner together, but we also like taking our kids for a nice long walk, so quick meals are key.
These grilled pork chops sit in a basic brine while we get everything else ready and then are stuffed with a simple, but tasty, breadcrumb mixture. This adds flavor and crunch to the juicy chops. I mean, don’t we all love stuffed stuff recipes?
Why You’ll Love Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops
The best way to enjoy grilling season is to make the best pork chops- and here is why these ones are the best:
- Amazing flavor – What with the brining, seasoning and stuffing, these delicious pork chops are packed with a lot of flavor.
- Family friendly – This pork chop recipe will be loved by even the pickiest of eaters. It’s always a crowd pleaser.
- Quick and easy – Many of the ingredients are probably already in your spice cabinet, and they’re grilled in only 15 minutes!
Ingredients for Stuffed Pork Chops
These simple ingredients can all easily be found at your local grocery stores.
- Center cut pork chops – I prefer to use boneless pork chops for this recipe. Bone-in pork chops are harder to cut slits into. Also, you want a decently thick chop.
- Coarse kosher salt – Keep in mind that different salts measure differently. This is what we will use to brine the pork chops.
- Seasonings – To season the pork chops, we use a blend of seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Simple but delicious!
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in a recipe.
- Garlic – Using freshly minced garlic is the way to go. It packs ways more of a punch than the pre-minced jar.
- Breadcrumbs – This is what holds the stuffing together and also adds a bit of texture and crunch.
- Parmesan cheese – We use this cheese for both the stuffing and as a garnish. I prefer to freshly grate my own cheese.
- Italian seasoning – You can either buy some at the store or use my homemade Italian seasoning blend.
- Smoked paprika – Feel free to use regular paprika, but I love the smoky flavor that the smoked version adds.
- Ground black pepper – I prefer to use freshly ground black pepper. The flavor is fresher and adds just a punch of heat.
- Parsley – This is optional, but I like to sprinkle a little green on top of the stuffed chop for some color.
How to Make Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops
You are going to love how simple it is to make this easy meal.
- Brine chops. Fill a large mixing bowl halfway with water and stir in the 2 teaspoons of the salt until nearly dissolved. Add the pork chops and more water, if needed, until they are submerged. Place in the refrigerator to brine. Remove the pork chops from the brine, discarding the liquid, and pat dry.
- Season pork chops. In a small bowl, stir together the seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Sprinkle each pork chop with the seasoning.
- Prepare grill and toothpicks. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Soak toothpicks in water.
- Make stuffing. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika and black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- Cut pork chops. Lay each pork chop on its side and using a very sharp knife or paring knife, cut a slit in the side of each pork chop, being careful to not cut all the way through, making a pocket for the stuffing.
- Stuff pork chops. Stuff each pork chop with equal parts breads crumb mixture. Secure with the toothpicks.
- Place pork chops on grill. Grill the pork chops over indirect heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until internal temperature of pork reaches 145°F.
- Allow to rest. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before garnishing with additional grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Variations
We like this recipe exactly as is, but there are a few ways that you can make this recipe your own.
- Pork chops – Although I highly recommend using boneless pork chops, you can also use a bone in pork chop. Make sure it’s a thick chop leaving room to stuff pork chops.
- Marinade – You can use any flavor that floats your boat. The stuffing mixture is so versatile that you can literally use any marinade, even an Asian dressing. However, my favorite is a simple lemon pepper or bottled Italian dressing.
- Pre-marinated – You don’t need to use a pre-marinated chops. They will be flavorful just with the stuffing. I would suggest making sure you have thick pork chops. The thicker they are, the easier it is to make a pocket! Aim for at least an inch thick.
- Butter vs olive oil – Feel free to substitute olive oil for butter if you’d like to.
- Stuffing – Feel free to make an herb stuffing with things like fresh sage, baby spinach or anything your heart desires. You can even add red pepper flakes for heat.
What to Serve with Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops
You can serve these pork chops with just about anything you’d like to! Here are a few of my favorite grilling side dishes:
- Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
- Cowboy Homemade Baked Beans
- Asiago Asparagus
- Southern Fried Corn
- Herb Grilled Potatoes
If you like a good dipping sauce, try barbecue sauce, a brown sugar soy sauce or even a honey garlic sauce.
Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing
Storage: You can store these grilled stuffed pork chops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Make ahead: You can certainly make these ahead of time. Go ahead and stuff them up to a few hours in advance. Just store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill.
Freezing: I wouldn’t suggest freezing them while raw purely because they do have dairy and this combined with the raw meat leaves a lot of potential for bacteria. The bread crumbs will also not be nearly as crunchy.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like to cook these pork chops in the oven instead, you can bake them for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
For this specific recipe, you cook these flavorful pork chops for about 5-6 minutes each side.
Like any pork, use a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer. Aim for the internal temperature of the meat to be 145 degrees.
More Easy Pork Recipes
Pork chop recipes are a great choice for an easy weeknight meal.
Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops
Ingredients
Pork Chops:
- 4 boneless center cut pork chops , at least 1-2 inch thickness
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt , divided
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Pork Chop Filling:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted
- 2 cloves garlic , minced or pressed
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Toothpicks
- Parsley , chopped, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large mixing bowl halfway with water and stir in the 2 teaspoons of the salt until nearly dissolved. Add the pork chops and more water, if needed, until they are submerged. Place in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours to brine.
- Remove the pork chops from the brine, discarding the liquid, and pay dry.
- In a small bowl, stir together the seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Sprinkle each pork chop with the seasoning.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Soak 16 toothpicks in water.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika and black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- Lay each pork chop on its side and using a very sharp knife, cut a slit in the side, being careful to not cut all the way through, making a pocket for the stuffing.
- Stuff each pork chop with equal parts breads crumb mixture. Secure with the toothpicks.
- Grill the pork chops over indirect heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until internal temperature of pork reaches 145°F.
- Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before garnishing with additional grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
I used the ingredients in this to double cover chicken cutlets because I didnt have pork chops and the cutlets I had were too thin to stuff. My husband absolutely loved it! It was soooooo flavorful! I will definitely be making this again, thank you!
I’m absolutely sure this will be a 5* dish! I plan to make these next week on Valentine’s Day, along with asparagus bundles & twice baked potatoes. Thanks SO much for this lovely recipe!
That sounds delicious! You let me know if there is an empty seat at your table, LOL.
Goodness stuffed inside a pork chop? Yes please! These sound fantastic… must try soon!
Oh, yes! What is not to love?
So excited for grilling season! My dad loves pork chops so these will definitely be on the menu all summer!
Me too! Although we are those crazy people that grill in freezing cold weather too. LOL.
O God! What a great recipe! I want to try it immediately! Looks very tasty! I like all the ingredients in it. This is perfect for me. thank you.
It is delicious! Let us know how you like it!
Looks sooo delicious and would make a perfect dish for hosting! I love pork chops!
Perfect for entertaining, I agree. Stuff them ahead of time and then throw them on the grill. So easy.
Yum! I loved eating pork chops growing up, so I could only imagine how delicious they are stuffed!
So good!