Instructions

1. Toast peppercorns:

   Heat a medium saucepan over medium. Add black peppercorns; cook, shaking pan occasionally, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder, and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Process peppercorns until finely ground, about 15 seconds.

2. Make barbecue sauce:

   Return ground pepper to pan. Add vinegar, mustard, and 1/4 cup of the butter. Bring vinegar mixture to a simmer over medium, whisking occasionally. Whisk in sorghum syrup, ketchup, crushed red pepper, thyme, bay leaf, shallot, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the salt. Cook over medium, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Uncover; remove from heat. Let sauce cool to room temperature. Reserve 1/2 cup barbecue sauce in a small bowl for basting. Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.

3. Marinate pork chops:

   Place pork chops in a baking dish, and add remaining cooled barbecue sauce from pan; turn to coat. Cover; marinate in refrigerator for 12 hours.

4. Remove pork from marinade; discard remaining marinade. Rinse pork under cold water; pat dry, and place on a large plate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with black pepper and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

5. Prepare grill:

   While pork stands, open bottom vent of charcoal grill completely. Light charcoal chimney starter filled with briquettes. When the briquettes are covered with gray ash, pour them onto the bottom grate of the grill, and then push to 1 side of the grill. Coat top grate with oil; place on grill. Cover, and preheat grill for 10 minutes.

6. Grill pork:

   Place pork chops on oiled grates directly over coals. Grill, uncovered, until pork just begins to brown around edges and along the bones, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to oiled grates over the side without the coals; arrange pork along edges of grill with bones facing coals. Grill, covered, until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 140°F, 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through cook time. During final 5 minutes of cook time, baste pork with reserved barbecue sauce. Transfer pork to a cutting board, and brush with any remaining barbecue sauce. Loosely tent pork with aluminum foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Temperature will continue to rise to 145°F.

7. Smoke butter:

   While pork rests, sprinkle hickory chips over coals. (Chips will flare up for a few minutes.) Place remaining 1/2 cup butter in a small cast-iron skillet. Place skillet on the grates over the side without the coals. Grill, covered, until butter is melted, foamy, and perfumed with smoke, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour smoked butter into a small heatproof bowl. Serve pork chops with smoked butter and Braised Onions.