Just in time for grilling season, Easy Grilled Pork Chops and Marinade would be perfect for your next barbecue. A flavorful, simple pork chop marinade made with soy sauce, fresh garlic, vegetable oil and lemon-pepper seasoning makes all the difference and does wonders to keep your grilled pork chops both tender and juicy.
Yes, I hear you; you have cooked pork chops before with varying degrees of success and, more often than not, they turn out dry, flavorless and as tough as shoe leather! I’m right there with you and I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me. The issue is today’s pork is so lean (believe it or not, it has the same number of calories as chicken breast) and it cooks so quickly, it is very easy to overcook.
My quick marinade for pork chops on the grill, buying bone-in pork chops, and a handy-dandy meat thermometer (I use a DOT and love it) are your keys to success with this grilled pork chop recipe.
Whisk together the marinade and add the pork chops before you head out for the day. When you come home in the evening they will be ready to throw on the grill and only take minutes to cook.
If you are looking for recipes for good pork chop sides or are wondering what to serve with your grilled pork chops, check out these popular side dish recipes: Classic Southern Seven-Layer Salad, Easy Southern Corn Salad, Potato Broccoli Salad with Vinaigrette, and Southern Potato Salad.
How to make Grilled Pork Chops and Marinade.
Gather your ingredients and combine water, soy sauce, vegetable oil, lemon-pepper seasoning and garlic cloves in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the pork chops in a gallon-size sealable storage bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal the bag and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours or up to 24 hours. Turn the bag over occasionally to ensure that all areas of the pork are covered.
When ready to grill, prepare the grill by cleaning the grates with a wire brush and oiling the grill racks. Heat the grill to medium-high, 400 degrees (for a charcoal grill, most of the coals are glowing orange-red and covered with a faint layer of ash).
Remove the pork chops from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and place on the grill. Grill on the first side 5-6 minutes, then flip over and grill on the other side for 5-6 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the pork chop reads 140 degrees.* While grilling, baste with the leftover marinade to keep the chops moist.
Remove the pork chops from the grill, cover lightly with a plate or foil and let them rest 5-10 minutes before serving. They should come up to 145 degrees while resting.
*The pork chops may take a longer or shorter time to come up to the correct temperature depending on the thickness of the chop.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 12 minutes |
| Passive Time | 2 hours |
| Servings | 4 servings |
- 4 pork loin chops bone-in, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon-pepper seasoning
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Ingredients
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- Combine the water, soy sauce, vegetable oil, lemon-pepper seasoning and garlic cloves in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place the pork chops in a gallon-size sealable storage bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal the bag and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours or up to 24 hours. Turn the bag over occasionally to ensure that all areas of the pork are covered.
- When ready to grill, prepare the grill by cleaning the grates with a wire brush and oiling the grill racks. Heat the grill to medium-high, 400 degrees (for a charcoal grill, most of the coals are glowing orange-red and covered with a faint layer of ash).
- Remove the pork chops from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and place on the grill. Grill on the first side 5-6 minutes, then flip over and grill on the other side for 5-6 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the pork chop reads 140 degrees.* While grilling, baste with the leftover marinade to keep the chops moist.
- Remove the pork chops from the grill, cover lightly with a plate or foil and let them rest 5-10 minutes before serving. They should come up to 145 degrees while resting.
*The pork chops may take a longer or shorter time to come up to the correct temperature depending on the thickness of the chop.
Made a variation of this using the marinade recipe (minus most of the water) as the liquid in the plastic zipper bags we used to sous vide the chops. Finished them on the grill. Another delicious recipe! Thanks, Sharon.
Hey Susan,
That’s awesome! I haven’t tried Sous Vide cooking yet, but I’ll bet cooking them that way made the chops really tender! Thanks so much for sharing!
All my best!
Sharon