Pork Chop Marinade makes any pork chop or pork steak, juicy, herby, and slightly sweet. Perfect for weeknight meals and summer grilling. Just mix, marinate, and grill!
Table of Contents
- Pork Chop Marinade makes any pork chop or pork steak, juicy, herby, and slightly sweet. Perfect for weeknight meals and summer grilling. Just mix, marinate, and grill!
- Why You'll Love This Pork Chop Marinade Recipe
- Ingredients
- Ingredient Substitutions
- How to Make Pork Chop Marinade
- Recipe Pro-Tips
- FAQs
- Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- More Pork Recipes
For an easy pork chop or pork steak marinade, mix simple pantry ingredients, marinate for 8-24 hours, and grill for moist and tender chops. Soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar meld perfectly to season every bite. Never have dry or boring pork again!
I love making this marinade and serving pork chops alongside Balsamic Pasta Salad or Air Fryer Vegetables. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it works for any cut so you can use it as a marinade for thin pork chops or thick-cut bone-in pork steaks.
Why You'll Love This Pork Chop Marinade Recipe
- Uses Pantry Staples. This simple pork steak marinade uses ingredients you probably have on hand so you can put it together in just a few minutes without an extra trip to the grocery store.
- Budget-Friendly. The marinade uses just just a few teaspoons or tablespoons of each ingredient so you’ll be able to make this over and over without repurchasing ingredients. Because the marinade works for any cut of pork, you can take advantage of sales or marked-down items knowing you have the best marinade waiting at home.
- Versatile. You can use this recipe as a marinade for pork steak, thick-cut pork chops, thin-cut chops, or your favorite cut of pork. Pork pairs well with almost any vegetable or starch, making meal planning simple. This marinade is also delicious on chicken so make a double batch for an easy mixed grill.
- Freezer-Ready. Take advantage of buying pork in bulk or plan ahead for busy weeks with this recipe! Freeze marinated, uncooked, pork chops for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and grill.
Ingredients
- Soy Sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce works best.
- Worcestershire sauce: Tangy and sweet flavor great for marinades.
- Olive Oil: Adding fat or oil to your marinade helps pull ingredients together and transfer flavor to the meat.
- Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar for molasses notes and slight caramelization on the pork. Pack into a measuring spoon when measuring.
- Red Wine Vinegar: The acidity of this ingredient helps tenderize the pork.
- Italian Season: Use your favorite dried Italian seasoning mix to easily add basil, oregano, and thyme.
- Garlic: Freshly sliced cloves for the most flavor.
- Pork: Thick-cut, regular, or thin-cut chops.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Coconut Aminos: Can be used instead of soy sauce and are slightly sweet in comparison to soy sauce.
- Avocado Oil: This oil will serve the same purpose as olive oil by helping transfer flavor to the meat.
- Honey: Use honey instead of brown sugar for equally sweet pork chops that still caramelize.
How to Make Pork Chop Marinade
For the complete recipe and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, light brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, and sliced garlic in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Step 2: Add the pork chops to the marinade and turn to cover. Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours. Turn the pork chops in the marinade periodically if desired.
Step 3: Preheat the grill to medium heat. Add the pork chops to the grill. Pour half of the marinade sauce on top. Reduce the grill heat to medium-low and cook the chops for 9-12 minutes, turning them every 3-4 minutes and pouring the rest of the marinade on them halfway through, or until the pork chops have reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 4: Let the pork chops rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. Enjoy hot!
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Use a Meat Thermometer. One way to ensure your pork chops are tender and juicy is to avoid overcooking them. Use a meat thermometer to cook them to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and then remove them from the grill pan. If you’re multitasking in the kitchen, you can get a thermometer that will alert you when pork has reached the ideal temperature.
- Let Pork Chops Rest. It can be so hard to wait to cut into these juicy pork chops, especially as they fill your kitchen with sweet and savory aromas, but I promise, they are even better if you let them rest for 3-5 minutes after cooking. Letting the meat rest after cooking allows for all the juices to absorb into the meat, making for the most tender and flavorful meal.
Recipe Variations
- Chili Pepper Pork: To add some heat to your grilled pork steak marinade, add 2 tablespoons of chili oil.
- Jamaican Jerk Pork: Use Jamaican jerk seasoning in place of Italian herbs
- Oven-Rosted Pork Chops: To use this pork steak marinade for oven-roasted pork, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove pork chops from the marinade and place them in a greased, oven-safe baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Pork chops thicker than ¾ of an inch may need additional baking time.
Serving Suggestions
This pork steak marinade is ideal for grilling, and pork chops pair well with so many summer favorites you can dish up on the patio.
Serve marinated pork steak with vegetables like Honey Roasted Rainbow Carrots or Frozen Broccoli in the Air Fryer. Pork chops are also delicious with the crunch of Broccoli Slaw or salads like Avocado Blueberry Salad or Roasted Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad.
Dietary Adaptations
To make this pork steak marinade recipe gluten-free, use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce and omit the Worcestershire sauce or use a variety that is gluten-free, as some Worcestershire sauces contain malt or other gluten-containing ingredients.
Storage Directions
- To Store: Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Freeze marinated, uncooked, pork chops in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before grilling.
- To Reheat: Reheat pork chops in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven in an oven-safe pan covered in foil for 15-20 minutes. Add a small amount of water to the pan to keep the pork chops from drying out. You can also reheat marinated pork chops in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, brush pork chops with olive oil, cook for 5 minutes, turn over, and cook for 5 additional minutes. When reheating, make sure the internal temperature of the pork chops reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
FAQs
The biggest difference between pork steaks and pork chops are the cut of meat that they are. Pork steaks are a shoulder cut of meat whereas pork chops are a cut from the loin of the pig.
Both pork steaks and pork chops can be marinated and grilled. Pork steaks are a slightly tougher cut of meat so they can be grilled at a slightly lower temperature, but the marinade will tenderize them enough that this step is optional.
The best pork chop or pork steak marinade includes sweet and savory ingredients to make pork both flavorful and tender. This marinade has soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to season the meat and brown sugar for sweetness and slight caramelization when grilling. To marinate pork steak, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or zip-top bag, add pork, and allow to marinate for 8-24 hours.
It is best to marinate pork chops for 8-24 hours to lock in flavor and tenderize meat. When using thin-cut pork chops, you can marinate for 4-8 hours because they have more surface area.
Many marinades have one or more acidic ingredients that tenderize the meat but can start to break down meat if marinated for too long. It is best to marinate pork chops for no more than 24 hours. If you can’t cook marinaded meat within 24 hours, you can freeze pork chops in the marinade for up to 3 months.
For tender pork chops, use a marinade that has both acid and fat. This easy marinade for pork steaks uses olive oil and red wine vinegar to tenderize and help pork absorb garlic and herb flavors.
A simple marinade is ideal to soak pork chops in before grilling. The best pork marinades will contain ingredients that add flavor through seasoning or herbs, olive oil, and vinegar or citrus.
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- Glass Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Spoons
- Whisk
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Grill Pan or Grill
- Grill Turner
- Meat Thermometer
More Pork Recipes
- Pork Chop Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
- Maple Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
- Dijon Pork Tenderloin Marinade
- Asian Pork Meatballs with Sweet Soy Broth
- Colorado Pork Green Chili
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Pork Chop Marinade
Email FacebookIngredients
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 ½ - 1 ¾ lbs pork chops or pork steaks
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, light brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, and sliced garlic in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the pork chops or steaks to the marinade and turn to cover. Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours. Turn the pork in the marinade periodically if desired.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Add the pork chops or steaks to the grill. Pour half of the marinade sauce on top. Reduce the grill heat to medium-low and cook the chops for 9-12 minutes, turning them every 3-4 minutes and pouring the rest of the marinade on them halfway through, or until the pork has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the pork rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. Enjoy hot!
Notes
- To Store: Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Freeze marinated, uncooked, pork chops or steaks in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before grilling.
- To Reheat: Reheat pork chops in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven in an oven-safe pan covered in foil for 15-20 minutes. Add a small amount of water to the pan to keep the pork chops from drying out. You can also reheat marinated pork chops in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, brush pork chops with olive oil, cook for 5 minutes, turn over, and cook for 5 additional minutes. When reheating, make sure the internal temperature of the pork chops reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce and use a gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
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