My sister-in-law, Angela, sent me this recipe a while back saying she had made this pork several times (even going so far as to tip-toe out to her grill in the deep snow) and raved about how tasty the pork turned out. I figured if they were fantastic enough for Ang to risk frostbite on her little piggies, I should give them a go, too.
The result? These are definitely some of the most tender chops I’ve had – and grilling them made them even more succulent (I just love an aesthetically pleasing grill mark, don’t you?). The pork chops get a marinade bath for a few hours in three simple ingredients and the result is a juicy, flavorful slice of meat that was tender enough for even my little tots to eat up.
These pork chops would pair beautifully with a simple orzo pilaf, scalloped potatoes, pasta salad, or even a classic baked potato (or try this unique version!), not to mention anyone of these tasty salads. I marinated eight pork chops, grilled four and froze the other four right in the marinade. I can’t wait to pop them out of the freezer and grill them up. Thanks, Ang – a perfect addition to my repertoire of meals I can make without turning on the oven (since I have less than three weeks to go until my no-oven months start!).
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Tender Grilled Pork Chops
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version
*Serves 4 (if you slice them and serve them with other sides, you could probably get away with serving 5 or 6 children/adults)
4 boneless pork loin chops
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning or make your own*)
Mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and pour into a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork chops and set the bag in a baking dish in a way that the pork chops get a healthy dose of the marinade (it may be advantageous to flip the bag over halfway through the marinating time). Marinate in the refrigerator for 3-8 hours (no more than 8). Heat the grill to medium and grill the chops 6-8 minutes per side (depending on how thick they are) until they are no longer pink in the center. Remove the chops from the grill and tent them with foil and allow them to rest for 5-7 minutes. Slice the chops in 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices across the grain and serve.
Recipe Source: my sister-in-law, Angela
*Here is a pretty good copycat recipe I found and seriously adjusted for Montreal Steak Seasoning:
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher/coarse salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon dill
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.
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I can’t wait to try the seasoning – we love using our own.
These look great! I love that the marinade has soy sauce in it…I think that may be the secret to great marinades (like your Grilled Island Chicken- I made that recipe again yesterday)! Yum!
Thanks for the double recipe post! yay!
yum. I think I will use this marinade on my port tenderloin that I am planning to grill tonight.
Mel, So this is my first time visiting your website. HOLY COW! Why haven’t I been here before? I love it already and I haven’t even tried any of the recipes yet. I do want to try making some bread again. It’s been awhile. I always had a hard time slicing mine, but maybe I’ll try my electric knife. Great idea! Good luck with your website. Love following your family blog too. You have such cute little guys
enough of this ‘the other white meat’ crap–pork is quickly becoming THE white meat for me, and the grilling suggestion is wonderful. great post.
I just realized you’re the genius behind sweet and sour chicken! That recipe should come with a warning! Once you make it, everyone you know will beg for you to make it again and again. It’s better than take-out! I hope you didn’t lose all the comments and ratings at Tasty Kitchen with the upgrade today. Your recipe should be sainted
Sounds great, I can’t wait to try it. Why do you say not to marinade more than eight hours? I usually leave mine overnight. Thanks!
I was so excited to see this today as I was planning on making pork chops. I am always looking for a different way to make them- and it was soooooooo yummy. Thanks so much for posting!
I am always looking for a good recipe for pork chops and I was excited when I saw this recipe today-I made this for dinner tonight and they were so good!! The whole family loved them-which is a rare accomplishment when that happens in my house! Thanks for another great recipe Melanie!!!
Brittany – I can’t believe you tried them already – and am happy (and relieved) they were such a hit! Thanks for checking in so quickly to let me know.
Denise – ditto on my comment to Brittany above, thanks for trying these so quickly! I’m happy you liked them, too!
Shelly – that’s the info that was passed to me by my sis-in-law, Ang, who gave me the recipe and I’m guessing that due to the makeup of the marinade, it might make the meat mush/too salty to leave it marinading overnight. As I type this, I’m guessing it is the too salty reason – since soy sauce can pack a punch in the salt department.
I’m excited to try these! Have you considered adding a category to your recipe index of no-oven recipes? That would be a huge help since I try not to use it during the summer too!
I was looking for something to make for dinner and I came across this recipe. I had pork chops in the freezer, we like all the ingredients, so I figured I’d give it a shot. The pork chops were so flavorful and moist- usually they end up kind of dry when I make them. My super picky 5yo son had seconds and told me several times how good they were. Thanks for the great recipe. Oh, and I just love your blog. I check it daily. I love your photos and your recipes really fit my family’s taste.
kim – that’s great when meals can come together so quickly and work out well. Thanks for letting me know – I’m thrilled you and your family liked this.
Ashlee – I’ve actually had the no-oven request twice this week so I’ll see if I can add it – it might take some time to go through all the recipes. For now, I have a “Grilled” category and my “Skillet” category is all no-oven.
I made these tonight, and they were as good as described. Fantastic!
Thanks, Tricia – so glad you liked the chops!
I can’t think of any reason this marinade and cooking method wouldn’t work for flank/flat iron/skirt steak. Can you?
I want to make these tonight, but don’t have a grill, and my chops are too thick for the Foreman. I might try to bake them instead. Wish me luck!
Double Dipped Life – let me know how they turn out! You might try broiling them, too, if you decide not to bake them.
Tricia – I think this marinade would be delicious on beef!
I’m heading to my family reunion camping trip this week and my meal to cook for everyone is pork chops. I’m going to make the marinade in advance and take it with me. I’m cooking about 20 chops…I’ll report back when I get home.
Loved these! Pork is sometimes tricky to grill perfectly for me, but the marinade made all the difference. Served with your orzo and my boys ate everything up! You are amazing and I love everything I try of yours, thanks again!
Katie – thanks so much! Sounds like a delicious dinner and I’m thrilled the chops turned out so well for you.
Sonya – good luck! Hope these work out well for you.
Okay,
I don’t ever cook meat. (I’m not a bif fan), but my husband is. So I decided to make these tonight. I was like a lost kitten in the meat department trying to find this cut of pork. I thought I had it, till just now when I went to marinade it, I found a bone in each cut. Will it still work? I’m scared!
hayley – the pork will be just fine! Even with a bone in each cut, you can still marinade and grill these. Just watch cooking times – I’m not sure how it will vary with a bone-in chop, but I’m guessing not much. Good luck!
Made this last night for some guests and it was delicious! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Thanks, Tiffany!
These were AMAZING!! We made them over the holiday weekend. Thanks for such a great recipe. We love pork chops at our house so this will be a standby from now on!
Mrs. Howell – thanks, so glad you liked this one!
These were a huge hit at my family reunion camping trip. I made the marinade in advance and just put the chops in zip lock bags the day I needed to cook them. They were really juicy and delish! I had a few left over (raw) and just left them in the ice chest until we got home. They cooked up great even after being in the marinade for 24 hours. Nice and juicy!
Sonya – what a great idea – thanks for the tips on preparing the marinade in advance and how to make these grilled pork chops work for camping. I’m so glad they were a hit!
This is by far the best pork chop recipe I have tried. I like pork chops every now and again, but with this marinade I will make them more often. My husband loved them (and he is very picky) and our two girls (ages 3 and 6) loved them. Our girls have asked for them twice this week. Thanks a ton.
Stacy – I’m glad these pork chops were such a hit with your husband and girls! They are a staple around our house, too.
For the ones you froze in the marinade, do you let them sit and marinade for a while, or do you immediately put them in the freezer? Do you just pull them out to defrost, and when they’re defrosted throw them on the grill? Thanks!!
Whitney – I always marinate them and then put them in the freezer. I pull them out in time to defrost in the refrigerator (so usually 24 hours-ish) and then put them on the grill when they are defrosted.