Smoked Pork Chops (Glazed Apple Topping)

These delicious and easy-to-make smoked pork chops are perfect for a weeknight meal or special occasion. Smoked to perfection and topped with a sweet apple sauce is sure to please everyone!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Buying the Pork
• Video - How to smoke pork chops (1 minute video)
• How to cook smoked pork chops
• How do these taste?
• Side Dishes
• FAQ
• Old Pro Tips
• Try Smoking These Great Dishes!
• Smoked Pork Chops

Ingredients

Unlike my Traeger Pork Chop Recipe which are based on a purchased seasoning, these pork chops use fresh herbs and an amazingly sweet apple topping.

Meat & Seasoning

• Pork chops - Variety of chops. You can use shoulder chop, rib chop, loin chop, boneless chop, or sirloin chop.
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Rosemary sprigs

Apple Sauce Topping

• Sliced apples
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

Brine

• Water
• Kosher salt
• Brown Sugar
• Black peppercorn
• Bay leaves

Buying the Pork

The #1 thing I love about pork is how inexpensive it is to purchase. You can buy pork at your local grocery store or butcher. Choose your favorite thick-cut pork chops to use for this pork recipe.

I prefer bone-in pork chops over boneless pork chops. I think the bone gives it extra flavor. But choose what you like best!

I bought a variety pack of pork which had boneless, loin, and rib chops. Purchasing from big box stores such as Sam's Club or Costco are a great way to save some $ and also get a boat load of pork chops.

Video - How to smoke pork chops (1 minute video)

How to cook smoked pork chops

Start by brining the pork chops so they finish nice and moist, then smoke them for that nice smoky flavor. Finally, topping them with a fresh apple topping and you have the best smoked pork chops you've ever tasted!

Brine

Brine is a salt water mixture that you soak the pork in for 8-24 hours before cooking to help tenderize the meat as well as make it nice and juicy when cooked. This makes a BIG difference in the texture and flavor of these pork chops. DON'T SKIP THIS PROCESS!

Add ½ the water and all of the other brine ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Add the remaining cool water to the pot and allow to cool completely to room temperature.

Add the pork chops to the brine, cover, and place in refrigerator for 8-24 hours before cooking.

Seasoning

An hour before beginning cooking, remove the pork chops from the brine and rinse off with fresh water. Pat dry the pork chops and rub all sides of the pork chops with olive oil. Season on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.

Reserve the rosemary sprigs for topping pork chops after placed on the grill.

Apple Glaze Topping

Slice ¼" thin apple slices and set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, dissolve the sugar in the butter.

Once dissolved, add the apples to the saucepan and continue to cook 1 minute while spooning the sugar butter over the apples. Remove from heat and set aside until pork chops are almost finished cooking.

Smoking pork chops

Pre-heat your favorite smoker to 225°F and clean the grill grates with a brush. Once the smoker is holding temperature, place the pork chops directly on the grill grate and place a rosemary sprig atop each chop.

Low temp smoke

Smoke for 1 hour or until the pork chops reach and internal temperature of 135°F. Remove the pork chops from the grill and increase the temperature to 450°F to sear these bad boys and finish the cooking process.

Searing

I placed searing racks on my pellet grill while turning up to high heat to get this sear. You can also use a gas grill to finish off these smoked pork chops and get that nice sear if you have one available.

Once the grill hits 450°F, remove the rosemary sprigs and throw the pork chops back on the smokers rack or searing grates and cook an additional 3-4 minutes a side until the internal temperature reaches 145°F when checked with a meat probe.

After searing one side of the pork chops and flipping, add the apple topping to the pork chops while on the grill. Finish searing and remove chops to a serving platter.

**The lowest finished internal temperature when cooking pork should be 145°F. This ensures a safe pork chop preventing any potential foodborne illness.**

Resting and Serving

After removing the smoked pork chops from the grill and placing on a serving platter, allow them to rest on the kitchen counter for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

Make sure not to cut into the pork chops during this resting period. This helps ensure the pork chops remain nice and moist!

Serve everyone a pork chop with some tasty side dishes and watch their eyes light up with enjoyment after tasting these masterpieces.

How do these taste?

Freaking amazing! The juicy tender pork chops infused with fresh herb flavor matched with the sweet apple topping will make your taste buds dance. It's the combination of great tasting meat and fresh apples that really does it for me. I LOVE these things!

I'm a big fan of pork. I love smoking pork butt and pork tenderloin every chance I can get. These smoked pork chops are no different, they wind up on my pellet smoker quite often!

Side Dishes

• Smoked Corn on the Cob - Jerkyholic
• Sauteed Green Beans - Savory Nothings
• Cilantro Lime Rice - Curry Trail
• Smoked Baked Potatoes - Jerkyholic

FAQ

Old Pro Tips

• Don't skip the brine! Brining pork chops makes a HUGE difference in how juicy they wind up after cooking.
• Bone in is the way to go. Buy a variety pack of pork chops making sure some have bones. The bone helps to add flavor to the meat!
• Don't overcook. An internal temperature of 145°F is the correct finished temp for the perfect pork chop.

Try Smoking These Great Dishes!