Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chops, oiled side down, over hot part of grill and cook, uncovered, until well browned on first side, 4 to 6 minutes. While chops are grilling, spread remaining oil mixture evenly over second side of chops. Flip chops and continue to cook until chops register 140 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes longer (if chops are well browned but register less than 140 degrees, move to cooler part of grill to finish cooking). Transfer chops to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with relish, if using.

TECHNIQUE – BETTER BROWNING IN A HURRY: For grilled pork chops with deeply seared crusts and juicy centers, speedy browning was crucial—but wasn’t easy to come by. Trouble is, before the Maillard reaction (the scientific principle behind browning) can kick in, heat needs to do some work. It must break down proteins into amino acids and carbohydrates into so-called reducing sugars. Plus, moisture on the meat’s surface inhibits browning. Dredging the exterior of the chops in something dry and absorbent seemed like a potential fix, so we tried flour (full of carbohydrates and some protein), as well as milk powder, which is loaded with not only protein but also the reducing sugar lactose. But while both ingredients significantly sped up browning, neither was particularly meaty-tasting. Then we discovered a breakthrough combination: honey and anchovy paste. Honey is loaded with the reducing sugar fructose, while anchovy paste has three benefits: First, it has the same concentration of meaty-tasting amino acids as pork. Second, the fermentation process dehydrates anchovies, so they contain very little browning-inhibiting water. Third, their large proteins are already broken down into the fast-reacting amino acids. Those traits added up to faster browning and big, meaty flavor. FAILED: Flour expedited browning but didn’t enhance meatiness. FAILED AGAIN: Milk powder also hastened crust development but not savory flavor. WHO’D’VE THUNK? Honey plus anchovy paste produced quick, flavorful browning.