In Partnership With Meater
Pork chops reverse seared on the Traeger are one of the best and easiest dinners out there. In about an hour, you will have amazingly tender and flavorful pork chops, ready for the table for all to enjoy. We use our Meater wireless thermometer for most cooks on the Traeger, because the tech-enabled features of the Meater make cooking easy, predictable and fun. For a delicious and slightly saucy twist on the traditional pork chop, we put together a simple honey garlic sauce which took these juicy grilled pork chops to the next level. For dinner this week, make honey garlic pork chops on the Traeger and everyone will be asking for more!
THE MEATER THERMOMETER MAKES IT EASY
Using the Meater thermometer along with our Traeger grills makes dinner in the backyard on a weeknight a breeze. The app-enabled wireless thermometer probe connects to my phone and makes backyard grilling, even on a hot summer night, easy to accomplish! We can stay cool inside in the air conditioning while the grill cooks away, and the Meater thermometer probe monitors the internal temperature of the pork chops. This removes the need to open the grill repeatedly to check the internal temperature of the chops and gives the meat the chance to cook away in the wood-fired smoke bath.
With the Meater thermometer probe and associated app, you’re able to set your desired temperatures, connect the probe to the app wirelessly and get real-time data on the progress of the cook and the estimated completion time. It makes for an easy solution to the question “when is dinner ready?” and makes cooking on the Traeger even easier!
ELEVATED BY A SAUCE
For this particular pork chop cook, we decided to amp up the flavor a bit with a honey-garlic sauce. A few simple ingredients can go a long way, and the sauce adds a bit of heat to the final product. We pulled the pork chops from the grill after reverse searing them, and then dipped them in the sauce. Once coated on all sides, we returned the sauced chops to the grill so that the sauce could set and caramelize a bit. This resulted in some crispy tasty bits, a good even coating on the chops, and tons of juicy flavor!
BONE IN PORK CHOPS
So many people have negative connotations of pork chops. Your grandmother made them– cooked to death and dried out beyond recognition. They were chewy, dry, color-less and tough. And if they had any flavor at all, it was a surprise. In reality, high-quality pork can be cooked to 145* internal, which results in tender, juicy and flavorful meat that is the antithesis of what your grandma considered for pork chop dinner.
To amplify the flavor a bit more (and ensure that the result is juicy), we like to use bone-in pork chops when grilling them on the Traeger. In this particular cook, we did two different cuts to see what the result would be. One was a tomahawk pork chop, with the rib bone still attached. The other was a porterhouse pork chop, with a bone through the center of the meat. We found that the tomahawk chop cooked a little more evenly, but they both ended up with killer flavor and tastiness.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Bone in pork chops
- Seasoning- we used my Smoke Junkie rub from Spiceology
- Hot honey (or honey and a hot sauce of your preference)
- My Garlic Junkie seasoning
- Soy sauce
- Ketchup
As noted, the ingredients are super simple. But the flavors that come together are delicious and can be adapted to your taste preferences. It’s almost like a BBQ sauce flavor, with a bit more umami from the soy sauce. For more heat, you can add some additional hot sauce, chili flakes or hot honey. We made this dish for the whole family to enjoy, so we kept it a little less spicy than we usually like.
WHY COOKING BONE IN PORK CHOPS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
Reverse searing on the Traeger results in consistently delicious, tender and juicy meals. As you know, we reverse sear beef all the time and it always comes out perfect. The same practice can be used on pork– cook it until just below the desired internal temperature and then crank up the heat to give your meat a great sear on the outside.
Did you know that pork can be cooked safely to 145* for eating? The National Pork Council has a great guide on their website to help you understand how to cook pork and to what temperature. Sure, 145 sounds different than how your grandma cooked pork, but I assure you that it’s tasty, delicious and safe. Check out their website here. When you use the Meater thermometer system in your pork chops as you’re cooking, you are able to set your target temperature from the beginning and as a result you will end up with perfectly-cooked pork at the end.
By first cooking low and slow, you ensure that the meat cooks evenly throughout and is bathed in that iconic Traeger wood-fired flavor. Then, by searing it hard on the outside at the end of the cook, you seal in the juices and moisture in the meat and get an end result that looks as great as it tastes.
STEP BY STEP
- Preheat your Traeger to 225* with the Super Smoke feature.
- Remove the pork chops from the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Season the pork on all sides with the Smoke Junkie rub. Use a thin coating of oil under the rub to make it stick really well.
- Insert a Meater thermometer probe in each pork chop. Using the app, set the target temperature for 135* and start the cook process.
- Place the seasoned pork chops on the Traeger and allow the pork to cook on the grill until it reaches about 135* internally.
- While the pork is cooking, make the sauce.
- In a pan or dish, combine the honey, soy sauce and ketchup and stir until well blended. Then add the Garlic Junkie seasoning and mix. Season to taste and adjust the ingredients as you desire.
- When the pork chops reach 135* internally, pull them from the grill. Turn the grill temperature up to 425* or higher and allow it to get really hot.
- Using gloves, one at a time place the smoked pork chops in the prepared sauce and turn to coat. Ensure that all sides are coated with the sauce. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.
- Return the pork chops to the hot grill and sear them on all sides until the sauce has caramelized a bit and the internal temperature of the pork hits about 140*.
- The Pork will continue to cook (carryover cooking) for a bit after you’ve pulled them off the grill.
- Allow the cooked pork to rest for 10-15 minutes and then slice and serve.
Pork chops on cutting board Seasoned pork chops with Meater Thermometer 
Pork chops on the Traeger
SIMILAR RECIPES TO HONEY GARLIC PORK CHOPS ON THE TRAEGER
Cooking pork on the Traeger is fun, easy and predictable. With the addition of a Meater thermometer system, you have an even easier cook ahead of you, with guaranteed amazing results.
Here are some other pork recipes we love to do on the Traeger:
- Country Style Pork Chops
- Smoked Pork Loin
- Pork Belly Smoked Like a Brisket
- There is also an amazing Pork Belly Burnt End recipe in my cookbook!
PRODUCTS USED IN THIS COOK
- For this recipe, we used the Meater thermometer system to ensure that we had a perfectly cooked chicken as the start of our dish.Some of the features I love about the Meater:
- Longer Range: Bluetooth to WiFi range extension built-in up to 165ft. Stand-Alone Mode: Cook without the use of your smart phone.
- Multiple Probes: Dual temperature sensors in each probe can monitor internal meat temperature up to 212°F and ambient / external temperature up to 527°F simultaneously.
- Guided Cook System: Walks you through every step of the cooking process to guarantee perfect and consistent results. You can also set up custom alerts / notifications based on temperature and/or time.
- Advanced Estimator Algorithm: Estimates how long to cook and rest your food to help plan your meal and manage your time.
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Honey Garlic Pork Chops on the Traeger
Equipment
- Traeger grill
- Meater thermometer probes
- Shallow dish
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in pork chops
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 4 tbsp Smoke Junkie seasoning
- 2 tbsp hot honey
- 1 tsp Garlic Junkie seasoning
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
Instructions
- Set your Traeger Grill to 225* and use the Super Smoke feature
- Unwrap the pork chops, trim as necessary and pat dry with a paper towel
- Coat each pork chop with a thin layer of hot sauce
- Then coat each pork chop with a generous coating of Smoke Junkie seasoning
- Allow the chops to sweat for about 10 minutes once seasoned, as the grill heats up
- Insert a Meater thermometer probe in each chop
- Set the target temp for final cook to 145* and the reverse sear step to 130*
- Place the pork chops in the center of the grill and close the lid
- Allow the chops to cook in the Traeger until they reach an internal temperature of 130*
- While the chops cook, make the sauce in a shallow bowl or pan
- Combine the hot honey, Garlic Junkie, soy sauce and ketchup
- Whisk until well combined
- Once the chops have reached 130* internal, pull them from the grill and turn up the heat on the grill to 450*
- Carefully place each pork chop in the prepared sauce and turn to coat
- Return sauced pork chops to the hot grill and sear until the internal temperature reaches 145*
- Remove the chops from the grill and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving
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