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:
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soy sauce
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brown sugar
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mustard
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garlic
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pepper
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Worcestershire Sauce (I 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
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Or use the marinades from these recipes for pork: Lime Chicken, Greek Chicken Gyros, Chicken Shawarma
Try these on the side
My favourite back-pocket marinades
These are the ones I use over and over again, made with pantry staples with lots of sub options!
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!
Jenny says
Delicious. Didn’t manage even one hour of marinating – last minute dot com – but they tasted great regardless!
Debbie says
Hi Nagi & Dozer,
I LOVE the way you instruct for a recipe, simple, clear directions. I’ve even shown my husband. He didn’t take the hint. LOL.
Question; I’m looking for your tip on tenderizing pork, so it not dry. Salt and water, but how much for how long. Thanks.
CT Mom says
Very easy, delicious marinade, with accessible items you likely have in the pantry/fridge. We used 8 boneless pork chops in the (doubled) marinade for an hour. More time would impart even more flavor, but not lacking even with just an hour. The barbequed chops came out flavorful and juicy. We absolutely will make this again – thumbs up by adults and a teen.
Jessica B says
In the words of my high schooler, these pork chops were bussin bussin!
Amanda says
Ahhhh…”bussin bussin”…it IS the highest of accolades one could receive from their high schooler.
Tamara says
Wow! This is definitely a keeper!
Karen says
Another winner from Nagi!!! I only had 2 hours to marinate my inexpensive pork chops but even that resulted in so much flavour!
Nagi says
Wahoo, that’s great Karen!! N x
Emma Brooks says
Absolutely loved this marinade! It worked wonderfully well. Moist, juicy chops and of course very, very tasty. I cook a lot and have 7 hungry/fussy people to satisfy, this recipe ticked all the boxes – thanks Nagi!
AF says
Any tips on how to make this recipe using an air fryer?
Nagi says
I haven’t tried just yet sorry AF – love to know if you give it a go! N x
Risky says
Hi Nagi, I bought bone in pork loin chops a while ago and just cooked them in skillet and I did not like the flavour. I think that they might be from a male porker. The remaining chops I froze. These pork chops were always in the back of mind, I knew the only hope for these chops was to marinate and BBQ. I finally pulled these chops out and marinated in your pork chop marinade for 4 to 5 hours and then BBQ grilled. Wow these pork chops went from a sow’s ear to a silk purse. We loved them, wanted more, gnawed on the bone and licked fingers clean. Just had to say. Thank you.
Melissa Dietrich says
Yum. Love your stuff! Can I make these in a cast iron skillet? Would it then be better to put in the oven or stovetop skillet it? Thank you for sharing your magic with us xo
Nagi says
Hi Melissa, you can use a cast iron skillet – no need for the oven, just follow the recipe directions 🙂 N x
Mary says
Is really cooked for 8-10 minutes inside?
Nagi says
Sure is Mary – as long as the chops aren’t super thick (I mention this in the recipe notes) – N x
Cherie says
Delicious! I marinated chunks of pork loin and then made a shish kabob of the pork with zucchini, mushrooms and red onion. I brushed the marinade on the veggies right before grilling. It was so good!
Jynnifer says
I’m not much on soy sauce unless it’s in small moderation. I made this and tasted the marinade before adding my pork chops, and I decided to add a little more Worcestershire sauce, a little more brown sugar, and a little bit of honey. SOOOOOO good!!!
Tom Starnes says
At last! My pork chops weren’t hard and tough!
Great flavor and very tender. Grilled about 4 mins per side, then basted with left over marinade and flipped to get both sides. Temp at 150. Perfect. Thank you!
Nancy says
Chops were juicy and tasty! My picky 18 year old really liked them. I used boneless chops just over 1/2 inch thick. Added 2 tablespoons of ketchup to the marinade, then followed the recipe as written.
Amado says
It is truly great. I’m not into pork chop, but this one is really great. Sister in law give me some pork chop to cook because they bought plenty. Thank you so much, Nagi.
linda says
This is really delicious! I used boneless pork chops and I added some red pepper flakes to spice it up a bit!
John says
Nagi: Used your pork chop/steak recipe after finding a really nice tenderloin on special and butchering it into steaks. Cannot thank you enough, this is REALLY SPECIAL! Think I’ll add a tablespoon or so of Gochujang for a little spice next time. Cheers!
Deon Roos says
Hi Nagi, thanks for this one. I have used a number of your recipes and they are always spot-on. I made a few changes for the BBQ, I added 1/4 cup of olive oil, half the sugar and I used 1.5 tsp mustard powder instead of Dijon. It all worked a treat, the wife and kids loved it, thanks!
Kim Jennings says
I have never commented on a recipe before, but had to on this one. HOLY COW, best marinade for pork chops ever! This is so good, the pork was so moist and flavorful. My picky eater 8 yr old son, who I had to negotiate with to even take 1 bite, LOVED it and ended up eating a whole chop himself. Thank you!!!