By August 2023. Memphis summer, 64 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.
Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 39 years of marriage. The BBQ class at the community center continues — students of all ages learning fire and smoke, and me learning that teaching is its own kind of cooking: you prepare, you present, you hope something sticks.
I made smoked chicken this week — a simple cook that belies its depth. Rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika, smoked at 275 over hickory for three hours. The skin was mahogany, the meat juicy, and the first bite carried the kind of flavor that makes you close your eyes, which is the highest compliment food can earn: the involuntary closing of the eyes, the body's admission that what it's tasting is too good to see.
Another week in the book. Another seven days of tending fires — the one in the smoker, the one in the marriage, the one in the family, the one in the church. Each fire needs something different: wood, attention, food, faith. But the tending is the same for all of them: show up, add what's needed, wait patiently, trust the process. Low and slow. Always. Low and slow.
That smoked chicken was the cook of the week, but my mind kept wandering back to the simplicity of pork over fire — the way a good chop, treated right, carries every lesson the smoker ever taught me. Rosetta has always loved a grilled pork chop, and after a week of teaching others about fire and smoke at the community center, I wanted to come home and do something elemental: just the grate, the flame, and the meat. These grilled pork chops are what came out of that. Nothing fancy, nothing that needs explaining — just a cook that respects the process.
Grilled Pork Chops
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 29 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick, 6–8 oz each)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F. Clean and oil the grates well to prevent sticking.
- Season the chops. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Brush both sides evenly with olive oil. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, thyme, and cayenne. Rub the seasoning mixture generously over both sides of each chop.
- Grill the first side. Place chops on the hot grill and cook undisturbed for 6–7 minutes, until good grill marks form and the meat releases naturally from the grate.
- Flip and finish. Turn chops once and grill for another 6–7 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Rest before serving. Transfer chops to a cutting board or platter and let rest for 5 minutes. The juices will settle back into the meat. Serve as-is or with your favorite sides.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 540mg