BBQ pork chop on a kamado
- Prep30 min
- Cook40 min
- Serves2
- DifficultyEasy
- TemperatureAbout 145°C (293°F) indirect, then about 250°C (480°F) to sear
I cooked a 518g bone-in Iberico pork chop from Graham Turner, about 4cm thick, on my Big Green Egg. It went on indirect at about 145°C (293°F) until it hit 50°C (122°F), then rested in foil for about 20 minutes while the Egg got hotter. Then it went over the open coals for about five minutes, and it came out juicy and still a bit pink at about 60°C (140°F).
Ingredients
- 1 thick bone-in Iberico pork chop, about 500g and 4cm thick. Mine was 518g from Graham Turner.
- Salt, pepper and garlic. My usual SPG.
- Lump charcoal. I used a B&Q lumpwood.
- Oak chunks.
Equipment
- A barbecue that holds about 145°C indirect, then runs hot enough to sear. I use my Big Green Egg Large with the ConvEGGtor (ceramic deflector).
- A drip tray. Mine sits on top of the deflector with foil in it.
- A thermometer. I used my ThermoPro TP20 and a hand probe.
- Foil, for the rest.
Method
- Season it
- Set up indirect at about 145°C (293°F)
- Cook it to 50°C (122°F)
- Rest it in foil
- Sear it over the open coals
- Rest it again
- Cut the rind off and carve
Key takeaways
- I took it off at about 60°C (140°F) and ate it pink. UK guidance is to cook pork all the way through, to 70°C (158°F) for two minutes. The US figure is 63°C (145°F). Mine was below both, so go further if you want to be safe.
- Leave the rind on for the cook and cut it off after. I thought it would protect the outside a bit. It flared badly on the sear, but it was coming off anyway.
- A butcher’s chop costs more. This one was £16.58, at £32 a kilo, and I think the premium is worth paying.
- Any barbecue that holds about 145°C (293°F) indirect and then gets hot enough to sear will do this. I had the deflector and a drip tray in for the first part, then took both out for the sear.
The cook, in full
This was 12 September. I bought the chop from Graham Turner, the butcher near Wisley. It was 518g at £32 a kilo, so £16.58 for one chop.
I seasoned it with my usual salt, pepper and garlic about half an hour before it went on. No brine and no marinade.
It went on the Egg just after five, indirect, with the deflector in and a drip tray on top. The Egg was at about 145°C (293°F) with the lid shut, and B&Q lumpwood and some oak on. I had the TP20 in it and checked it with a hand probe too.
It hit 50°C (122°F) after about 35 minutes. I took it off, wrapped it in foil and left it about 20 minutes while I took the deflector and drip tray out and let the Egg get hotter. I think it was around 250°C (480°F) when it went back on.
I seared it for about five minutes, turning it twice. I had the lid open, and when the rind really started to flare I shut it to put the flames out. I could see the rind going black, but I wasn’t bothered because it was coming off.
After about four minutes’ rest I cut the rind off and binned it, then carved it.
It was juicy and still a bit pink, at about 60°C (140°F). There were two good portions, for me and my wife.
What to serve it with
I had it with a baked potato and a salad.
What I learned
It was nice, juicy and good quality. Next to the tomahawk, though, I’d rank it way below. I think the char works better on beef than on pork, but that might just be me.
Next time I think I’d brine it.
Variations
A kettle does this fine. Bank the coals to one side, cook it on the cool side, then sear it over the coals.
It’s the same reverse sear I did on the tomahawk: low first, then a hot sear.
Related
- Tomahawk steak on a kamado — the same low-then-sear cook, on beef.
- Bone-in pork loin on a kamado — also from Graham Turner.
- Big Green Egg Large review — the unit this was cooked on.
FAQ
How long do you BBQ a pork chop?
Mine was a thick bone-in chop, about 4cm. It took about 35 minutes indirect to reach 50°C (122°F), then about five minutes over the coals. Go by a thermometer, not the clock.
How do you stop a pork chop going dry?
Use a thermometer so you take it off at the right point, and rest it. Brining helps too. I didn’t brine this one, and next time I think I would.
Should you marinate a pork chop for the BBQ?
I didn’t. It was just salt, pepper and garlic. If a marinade has sugar in it, it’ll burn, so I’d put a glaze on at the end instead.
What is the 6-2-2 rule for pork?
Six minutes on one side, two on the other, then two minutes’ rest. It’s for thin pork steaks cooked fast over a medium-high heat. It doesn’t fit a thick pork chop cooked low first and then seared. On a thick one, go by the thermometer, not the clock.
What temperature should a pork chop be cooked to?
UK guidance is to cook pork all the way through, to 70°C (158°F) for two minutes. The US figure is 63°C (145°F). I took mine to about 60°C (140°F) and ate it pink, because it was good Iberico pork. That’s below both, so it’s your call.
Is an Iberico pork chop worth the money?
It was £16.58 for one chop from the butcher, and I think the premium is worth paying.
Disclosure and provenance
I cooked this on my own Big Green Egg Large. Smoke and Lump has no commercial relationship with Big Green Egg or Graham Turner and earns nothing from this recipe.
Sourced from the 12 September 2026 cook log — a 518g bone-in Iberico pork chop from Graham Turner, cooked indirect then seared on the Big Green Egg Large.