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Pork Chop Marinade Recipe

This pork chop marinade is AMAZING! It produces pork chops dripping with so much intoxicating flavor you will be obsessed. The maple orange chipotle marinade boasts multidimensional layers of sweet and tangy flavor with just the right punch of sassy heat. It’s perfect for grilling or baking so you can enjoy its mesmerizing flavor year-round. To make, simply whisk the marinade together, marinate, and then grill or bake with zero cleanup!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Pork

  • 6 bone-in-pork chops

Marinade

Instructions

  • Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large freezer bag. Remove 1/3 cup to use later to baste the pork chops (“reserved marinade”). Add pork to the freezer bag and turn to evenly coat. Marinate for 4-12 hours.

GRILLED PORK CHOPS

  • Let pork chops sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • Heat grill to medium-high heat, clean and generously oil the grates.
  • Add the pork chops to the grill and cover. Reduce heat as needed to maintain heat around 400 degrees F. Grill for 4-6 minutes per side or until the thickest part of the meat registers 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. If your pork chops are extra thick then you will need to grill longer, reducing the heat as needed.
  • Baste the pork chops with reserved marinade the last 30 seconds of cooking on each side.
  • Transfer pork to a plate and brush with desired amount of remaining reserved marinade. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste (I like more salt).

OVEN-BAKED PORK CHOPS

  • Let pork chops sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (I like to line with foil first for easy clean up).
  • Transfer pork chops to prepared baking dish and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning once half way through, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. You may need to bake up to 25 minutes if you have extra thick pork chops.
  • Transfer pork to a plate and brush with desired amount of remaining reserved marinade. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste (I like more salt).

Notes

TIPS AND TRICKS 

  • Clean grill. Clean the grill very well before cooking for beautiful grill marks and to prevent sticking, especially due to the maple syrup in the marinade.
  • Flip only once using tongs. After you add the pork chops to the grill, don’t attempt to flip or move them before 4 minutes. You need enough time for the pork to sear and then it will naturally release from the grill. Once you can easily move the pork, then you can flip it over using tongs.
  • Turn down heat. If your pork chops are cooking too quickly and the outside is staring to burn, turn the heat down.
  • Don’t overcook!  Pork chops are lean and therefore can dry out if overcooked so it is important to use a meat thermometer to achieve the correct temperature.  Cook pork just to 145 degrees F.  You can’t depend solely on recipe cooking times to achieve the correct temperature because there are always variables such as pork chop thickness, their starting temperature, temperature of the grill and desired doneness/internal temperature.  A meat thermometer will eliminate all of this guess work. 
  • Test individual pork chops for doneness.  Pork chops are often different thickness, which means they can be done at different times.  If this is the case, take care to check the temperature of each chop and remove them as they finish cooking.
  • Let pork chops rest.  After your protein is finished cooking, transfer it to a plate and let rest 5 minutes before serving so it has time to reabsorb the juices that have pushed towards the outside of the protein when cooked. If you cut into the pork chops immediately after cooking, valuable, moisture-giving juices will run out.
  • Salt to taste.  Pork needs a lot of salt, so I suggest tasting your pork first and if it’s not jaw-dropping delicious, it probably just needs a bit more salt.
  • Scale spice level.  The chipotle chili powder adds a smoky heat to balance out the sweet maple and is a tantalizing must in this recipe.  I think 1 1/2 teaspoons has as nice kick and would suggest this to most readers because you can add less glaze at the end if you want less heat.  If you know you don’t like spice at all then use 1 teaspoon. You will also want to reduce the maple syrup to 1/3 cup or it will be too sweet without the requisite balance of heat.

HOW TO STORE and REHEAT 

  • Make ahead:  store marinade in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days WITHOUT the pork chops.
  • Storage:  transfer cooked pork chops to an airtight container.  Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
  • Microwave:  transfer pork chops to a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 60 seconds then at 15 second intervals as needed.
  • Skillet:  drizzle some olive oil in a nonstick skillet and heat to medium heat.  Add pork chops, cover and cook until warmed through, flipping once.
  • Oven: Transfer pork chops to a baking sheet, cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or just until warmed through.

HOW TO FREEZE

You can freeze just the marinade, pork chops in the marinade or cooked pork chops:
  • Freeze marinade: transfer marinade to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before using.
  • Freeze pork chops in marinade:  add uncooked pork chops to the marinade and freeze.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  When you’re ready to use, the protein will marinate as you thaw in the refrigerator.
  • Freeze cooked pork chops:  cool pork chops to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag and squeeze out any excess air. Freeze for 2 to 3 months.