A great pork chop marinade that will make your pork extra juicy with a terrific savoury flavour and a gorgeous caramelised crust without overpowering the natural flavour of pork. Even 1 hour of marinating makes a remarkable difference!
Just a great pork chop marinade
You know when something hits the pan and it smells so great than even if it’s the first time you’ve made that recipe, you know it’s going to be a winner? This is one of those. 🙂
Plus, the added bonus is that there is a very good chance that all the ingredients are already in your pantry. Checklist:
- soy sauce
- brown sugar
- mustard
- garlic
- pepper
- Worcestershire Sauce (IÂ never spell that right first go! Thank you auto correct).
Soy sauce is the secret ingredient
“Soy sauce?”, I hear some of you think, dubiously.
YES. Soy sauce. NO it doesn’t make this the least bit Asiany (no matter how I spell it, auto correct does not like that word). It’s a brine that injects the pork with juiciness and it’s better than the basic salt + water brine because it’s got more flavour to it.
If you’ve never tried a soy sauce based brine for a protein before, I think you’re going to be very pleasantly surprised. Watch the video below the recipe – the end when I press down on the pork chop to show how juicy it is. That’s courtesy of the soy sauce!
I’m sharing this Pork Chop Marinade because I got all excited that I finally got a new BBQ. Living by the ocean means that anything that resides outdoors has a limited life and my current BBQ looks like an abandoned burnt out car.
While it’s terrific seared on the grill, it is of course great pan fried as well which is how I usually make it.
If you’re BBQ-ing, try it this Lemon Potato Salad and a garden salad with French Dressing, and have a browse for more Grilling Ideas.
If it’s winter where you are, try this One Pan BAKED Vegetables and Rice – you’ll love the seasoned rice! – Nagi xx
More great pork chop marinades & rubs
- Country Style Baked Pork Chops
- Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops
- Or use the marinades from these recipes for pork: Lime Chicken, Greek Chicken Gyros, Chicken Shawarma
Try these on the side
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Mushroom Rice
- Curried Basmati Rice
- Everyday Cabbage Salad
- Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad
My favourite back-pocket marinades
These are the ones I use over and over again, made with pantry staples with lots of sub options!
- Just a great Chicken Marinade
- Italian Dressing Chicken Marinade
- Asian Chicken Marinade
- Beef Steak Marinade
- Rosemary Garlic Marinated Lamb Chops
Watch how to make it
Recipe video for this great Pork Chop Marinade! Don’t miss the end when I show how juicy the chops are…
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A Great Pork Chop Marinade
Ingredients
- 4 bone in pork chops, 2 cm / 4/5" thick about 280g/9 oz each (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp oil
Marinade:
- 1/3 cup (85 ml) soy sauce (light or all purpose, not dark)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Massage to combine.
- Add chops. Massage to coat in the Marinade. Marinate for 1 – 24 hours. (Note 2)
- Take the chops out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
- Brush BBQ grill or drizzle oil in pan, heat on medium high. Add pork and cook for 4 minutes or until the underside is caramelised and the pork releases from the grill, then turn the chops and cook for 3 minutes (Note 2 for thin chops).
- Baste both sides with residual marinade in ziplock bag, then cook the basted side for 30 seconds before serving. The chops should have a great crust
- Transfer chops to a plate, cover loosely with foil. Rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes:
* Thin chops: 1.25 cm/ 1/2" thick - 1 hr+
* Thick chops 2 cm / 4/5" thick - 3 hrs+ COOK TIME for just white (juicy, no pink, reduce by 1 min for hint of blush):
* Thin chops - 3 minutes first side, 2 minutes second side, then 30 seconds on each side for basting.
* Thick chops - 4 minutes first side, 3 minutes second side, then 45 seconds on each side. If your chops are thicker than the Thick Chops, then I'd recommend starting on the stove and finishing in the oven at 180C/350F until the internal temperature is 145F / 63C. 3. Troubleshooting / tips: Once you put the chops on the BBQ, DON'T TOUCH IT! Once it is cooked, it will release naturally from the grills. If it sticks, it's not ready to turn. If your chops are cooking too quickly and start to burn because of the sugar in the marinade, turn the heat down. Remember, these chops are meant to have a gorgeous chargrilled crust! 4. CRISPY POTATO ROSTI recipe (pictured on the side of the chops) - by reader request, here's an abbreviated form of the recipe: 2 large brushed (Sebago) potatoes (US: use russet), peeled and grated using a box grater. Grab handfuls and squeeze out excess liquid or do this using a dish towel (clean!). Place in bowl, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tbsp butter + 1 1/2 tbsp oil (I use olive) in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add dollops of potato, spread into pancake shape about 12 cm / 4.5" wide, 0.75 cm / 1/4" thick. Press down to compact into rosti, cook for 3 minutes or until deep golden brown. Flip and repeat. Drain on paper towels, repeat with remaining potato, should make 8. Originally posted August 2017, photos replaced in May 2018, some tidying up done in February 2019, no change to recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
This is what a doggie smile looks like!
Can you cook these in a pressure cooker?
Hi Terri, you really want to sear these on a grill to get that caramelisation – that’s where all the flavour is 🙂 N x
Delitiouse!!! Thanks for the receipt, I recommend it to anyone!!
This tasted really good! My toddler who is a picky eater says he loved it! Best part is… it was very easy to make.
Is it safe to use the unused marinade? As with chicken marinade, I boil the in bag marinade first to kill any bacteria
Hi Francine, perfect safe as you cook it after basting. N x
Awesome juicy chops!
I massaged the chops for 6 hours…. I hope that’s long enough. You said 1 to 24 hours but my hands are tired! Just kidding, Lol… Great marinade, thanks!
Hi Eric, Massage to coat in the Marinade. Marinate for 1 – 24 hours. Not massage for 24 hours! 😂
This recipe is great! I marinated my pork chops for about 8 hours before they were grilled. They were incredibly tender, not dry at all and had a delicious, savoury flavour!
Recipe was easy and delicious! I used what I had on hand and substituted garlic paste, Gluten Free Less Sodium Tamari soy sauce and light brown sugar. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you.
This may be the easiest and best marinade ever for a thick pork chop. I’ve tried many with more ingredients. Busy working, little time. Turned out amazing! My only go to from now on.
I used this marinade on pork shoulder blade steak and it was so good! Definite repeat
The best pork chops ever. Turned out just as described and delicious served with your lemony potatoe Salad. Love the way you give suggestions for sides. Very helpful. Thankyou for teaching me how to cook. My husband is really happy.
So, so, so GOOD! Loved the flavor and juiciness of the pork chop. I have been brining my chops and while they do have a good flavor, they are often dry, even though I don’t over cook them. Brining too long makes them too salty. This is my new GO TO recipie for chops!
This Pork chop recipe was OUTSTANDING! You have a new fan club in Bozeman Montana USA! Now on to your chocolate cake recipe! Wahoo!!