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!
Can this marinade be vacuum sealed and frozen with pork chops or will that brine the meat too much? I’m trying to up my meal prep game and adapt some marinade recipes for sous vide.
I made these pork chops tonight.
They were amazing!!
I did the marinade at about 9am.
I cooked them at 6pm. Severed them with steamed rice and broccoli with cheese sauce.
I cooked it exactly as written. Sine they were thick, I finished them off in the oven for about 4 min. PERFECT!
TY
I want to try this recipe but I don’t use soy sauce. Will it turn out if I use coconut amino instead?
That should work fine Wendy! N x
These are the first moist pork chops I’ve ever eaten! I think I used the wrong soy sauce because it tasted more like a flavorful steak. My steak marinade may change after this. Thank you
I read this recipe then I won a meat tray full of pork chops – divine intervention! Best marinade ever, so delicious! New family fav!
Wahoo!!! Perfect Olivia! N x
Very nice marinade I actually used Pork Scotch Fillets.
Perfect Diane!! N x
Has anyone tried this using an indoor bbq grill? Is it cooked already for 10 minutes in 450 or 400 heat?
3rd time with this recipe.
“Baste both sides with residual marinade in ziplock bag, then cook the basted side for 30 seconds before serving. ”
But I thought that BOTH sides are basted???
Hi Nagi, thank you for another great recipe, you are my ‘go to’ to solve my cooking dilemmas.
Just made the pork chop marinade absolutely delicious and so easy to do will definitely do it again
Hi Nagi!! I wanna try this. But I don’t have a griller. Can i use a normal pan for frying? Will there be a difference
I used a cast iron skillet.. its winter here in Idaho, so no grilling. They were awesome!
Hi Nagi!! I wanna try this. But I don’t have a griller. Can i use a normal pan for frying? Will there be a difference
I made this recipe today and only marinated the chops for about an hour. It was delicious and so easy to make. I will most definitely use this recipe in the future.
Wow, so yum! This will be my go to recipe for pork marinade from now on. Unbelievably tasty!
So easy and tasty! Thanks Nagi
You’re so welcome – thanks Jackz! N x
My go to every time for stove top pork chops. Finally I can make a great pork chop thanks to this recipe.
Another keeper!
Beautiful sumptuous juicy pork. I used it on pork scotch fillet and this will now be my go to. Yum…thanks again Nagi
What i can i substitute for dijon mustard?
I used this recipe to marinate for 24 hours pork blade steaks that I pan fried, and the flavor was nothing short of amazing. Thanks!
Can I use this to marinate pork ribs
You sure can Vee, enjoy! N x
what can I use in place of soy –
allergic – gives me headache
Hi Patricia, have you tried coconut aminos in place of soy for asian recipes? N x
Best pork chops I have ever eaten.
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