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!
Thought it may be to soya sauce forward but i guess the brown sugar balanced it out, because it tasted great. Thanks
This was absolutely delicious. The pork was perfectly cooked and the seasoning was amazing. Glad that I followed the recipe because it turned out great. I did reduce the garlic because I’m not a fan,
Hi Nagi
Can you recommend some sauces that would go with your marinaded pork chops?
Thank you!
I did these in the air fryer @200C – I used thick boneless chops so did them for 16 minutes, turning once. They were OMG delicious and succulent and are now on regular meal rotation.
Straightforward and delicious
Perfect as always, beautiful flavour & perfectly cooked.
These are FANTASTIC!! I now have a pork chop recipe that is easy to follow and fool proof! Thanks for sharing! And thanks for all your details for skinny or fat chops! So delicious!!
used this recipe. I added a little canola oil to the marinade. Turned out great. Kids all loved the flavor. Now I am going try your chicken marinade. Thx!
I have always had trouble overcooking pork chops, BUT not anymore. Thank you Nagi for this marinade and timing, followed exactly and they were cooked beautifully, juicy, tasty & tender.
My husband was ecstatic as pork chops are one of his favourite meals.
I made this with boneless pork chops, added olive oil, onion powder
, squeeze of fresh lemon juice and Italian seasoning. It tasted delicious!! It actually tasted m,ore like beef steak.
Tried this marinade last night. Honestly have to say it’s the best pork chop marinade I have ever used. Flavorful, without overpowering the taste of the meat. I will be using this as my go-to for pork chops for the foreseeable future. Many thanks!!
Tried this recipe this week and it was absolutely delicious! The chops were moist and juicy. I want to try with chicken now.
Brilliant marinade for pork chops; however, like others before me, I used a soya sauce that was a bit too dark. Having said this it certainly was a flavourful, delicious and moist chop. Thanks again, Nagi ❤️🇨🇦. I can always depend upon your recipes!!
I have made pork chops this way several times, very good. I add olive oil, adds that little something to the chops and makes them more moist.
Absolutely delicious. Both myself and husband said best pork chop we’ve ever had! Definitely going to be the only way i have pork chops now. Thanks Nagi
This was sooo good! It’s hard to get pork chops juicy but this did the trick. Will definitely make this again.
I absolutely love this recipe! I use pork chops or chicken thighs and they are amazing!
I marinated 3/4 chops for maybe 2 hrs.. a little too salty for me, husband disagreed.. I think for me , thicker chops or a tenderloin would be better.. I plan to use leftover marinade and pork for stir fry /refried rice..
Delicious! Followed the cooking instructions and got some juicy tender pork chops. We had no leftovers!
Finishing my review: the chops were bland. Maybe some salt and more pepper. I’m not sure but they needed something!