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 (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
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!
Could I make these pork chops on grill and put in crock pot for a couple of hours?
This was a wonderful marinade. The pork chops were absolutely the best I have ever grilled! Moist, flavorful and beautifully caramelized on the outside. I will be using this often. I am going to try it on grilled beef and chicken, too. Something this good can’t hurt ’em.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
I have used this marinade about half a dozen times so far and it always turns out amazing and juicy and delicious. My husband is now requesting this on a regular basis.
I suck at pork chops. So I went looking for a marinade to make them less dry, and lo! Nagi, my faithful rabbi, has posted one. Thank God, I said, this is a mortal lock. Can’t lose!
And yet. And yet I couldn’t have foreseen that these pork chops would actually make my wife *giggle.* Make her sit back with her eyes closed after the first bite, to savor the awesomeness.
I used 1.5” chops, so I finished them in the oven until my thermometer said 127. We like em pink. Next time I will pull them at 123. AMAZING.
So glad you enjoyed it Laura! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
I was hesitant marinating for 24 hour and it coming out a bit too salty. It was perfect. Made the meat tender and delicious. Have used this many times since then. Whether it’s used as a one hour marinade or up to 24, it’s amazing. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it Tricia! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
Brought all the ingredients for this recipe when we went camping. I was the HERO of the group! So delicious, easy, and a cinch to bring along. Thank you for sharing!
Wonder how this marinade would work on skirt steak?
WIll it be too salty if I leave marinade in for more than 24 hours? The pork chops are pretty thick and I left it in at 10-11 am today and will use it tomorrow at 5/6 pm, so 32 hours ish?
I ended up marinating them for a few hours over 24 hours and they were delicious! Best pork chops I ever had.
Nope it will be totally fine 🙂 I’ve left it in for 3 days and it was a bit saltier than I’d like but even then was still delish!
Wow! Absolutely outstanding!
Must make again.Was a touch salty. Cut back on the soy sauce a little.
Definitely adjust to your taste Michael! I don’t have an overly salty palette so you must be even less so 🙂 Less salt is healthier!! N xx
Trying your marinade, thanks. On another note a real stainless grill will last a lifetime. Make sure the burners have a lifetime warranty or are cheap to replace. You will never have to buy another or even need a grill cover!
Is this a marinade you could freeze with the raw pork chops, or would it end up too strong? Thanks Nagi!
This marinade is fantastic! I need fact, we love it so much, its the only one I use for pork chops anymore. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Excellent! Made exactly as noted and on thick pork chops, marinaded about 3-4 hours. They turned out great. Thanks!
Terrific to hear you enjoyed this!! Thanks Linda! N x
I want to try this marinade today but I dont have dijon mustard…..I have regular and honey mustard can I substitute with any of these?
hi there
can you use the oven for this? bake or broil? what settings please? thanks!
Can you bake this in the oven or broil? What temp and how long? Thanks
Hi Nagi, followed some of your recipes and they all come out tasting really good. Can I fry the pork instead of grilling using this marinade please.
Gosh yes! Just as tasty 🙂 N x
Is there risk of cross contamination by basting the almost done pork chops with the residual marinade that had the raw pork in it?
Hi Arturo! As long as you cook the pork after basting it it’s totally fine, especially given the meat here is in direct contact with the pan, any bacteria is killed very quickly 🙂 N x
Cool. Thank You.
Lovely marinade, very tasty. Can this be used for chicken too?
I just used this marinade for chicken quarters on the grill… I did double the it…. And it turned out fantastic. Highly recommend this marinade for both chops and chicken
ABSOLUTELY!! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this Kathy!
We grilled this tonight for dinner and it was excellent, thank you!! Will only make pork chops with this marinade from here on out😊
I’m glad you enjoyed this Tracey! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x