Description

A simple zesty grilled pork chop marinade produces great flavor and insures your meat is tender and juicy.

Ingredients

Scale

4 (6-8 ounce) pork chops, either boneless or bone-in—look for chops that are at least 3/4”-1” thick
1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 cup olive oil

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Instructions

In a zip-close gallon size bag, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, mince garlic, dried oregano, pepper, chili powder and olive oil. Seal bag and using your fingers smush the bag until all the ingredients are combined.
Add the pork chops and massage the bag so the marinade covers the meat. Place the zip close bags in the refrigerator and allow the pork chops to marinate for overnight or at least 6 hours an up to 24 hours.
When ready to cook the pork chops, remove them from the marinade and pat the meat well on all sides to remove the surface moisture.
Lightly oil the grates and preheat the grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (375°F)
Place pork chops on grill and cook for 3-4 minutes (rotate each pork chop 90° after 2 minutes to get the cross hatch grill mark.
Flip the pork chops over and continue cooking for another 3 minutes on the other side.
Reduce the grill temperature to medium low and continue to cook until the internal temperature of each chop reaches 145°F,. Depending on the thickness of the meat and the grill conditions this could take anywhere between 6-15 more minutes). If using a grill pan, once you achieve grill marks, move the grill pan into a preheated 325°F oven and cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
Remove the pork chops from the grill or grill pan and let rest for 10 minutes.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve. If you want to add a kick, sprinkle a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes on meat while it rests.

Notes

Even 1 hour of marinating will improve the flavor and juiciness of the pork, the longer the marinate time (up to 24-36 hours) the better the marinade can penetrate the meat and boost the flavor. Longer marinating times can break down the meat fibers and make the flesh mushy, for a more in-depth discussion, check out this post.

For food safety, always refrigerate meat while it is marinating.

Take the time to pat the pork well before cooking. This helps the meat immediately start to sear as soon as it touches the heat, rather than steaming as the high temperature evaporates the surface liquid on the pork chops before beginning to sear.