These grilled pork chops are soaked in a flavorful marinade, then cooked to golden brown perfection. A quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for any BBQ or summer gathering!
In my opinion, pork chops are an underrated cut of meat. They’re inexpensive, juicy and packed full of flavor. Some of my favorite pork chop recipes include mushroom pork chops, brown sugar pork chops, and these simple yet satisfying grilled pork chops.
I do a lot of grilling when the weather warms up, and I have to say, one of my favorite things to cook is these grilled pork chops. They’re packed full of flavor and pair perfectly with a variety of side dishes. These pork chops can also be broiled or pan seared in cold weather months.
As long as you are grilling, you might as well cook up some delicious side dishes like grilled mushrooms, grilled vegetables and grilled potatoes in foil. You can also serve a cool carrot salad or dill potato salad to counterbalance the pork. Add that smoky goodness to your whole meal with these easy recipes!
Table of Contents
Grilled Pork Chop Ingredients
To make these pork chops you will need pork chops, olive oil, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley leaves, thyme leaves, garlic, salt and black pepper.
How Do You Make Grilled Pork Chops?
To grill pork chops, first make a marinade by whisking together olive oil, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Place your pork chops in the bowl and let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Preheat a grill to medium heat. Place the pork on the grill and listen for that satisfying sizzle. Grill the chops until golden brown and cooked through. Add a sprinkle of parsley and you’ll be ready to eat!
Tips For The Perfect Grilled Pork Chops
- You can use bone in or boneless pork chops. I prefer bone-in pork chops as they’re less likely to dry out on the grill.
- You can make the marinade up to 3 days in advance. Store the marinade in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
- This marinade contains sugar which adds great flavor, but can burn on the grill. Make sure your grill is not too hot before you add your meat!
- You can use a charcoal grill, gas grill or indoor grill pan for this recipe.
- Heat the grill before placing the pork on it so that the grate leaves nice grill marks on both sides of the pork chops.
- The best way to gauge whether your pork is done is to use a meat thermometer. You can use an instant read thermometer or a probe thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat for the most accurate reading. Make sure the thermometer doesn’t touch the bone.
Quick Tip
Use a meat thermometer to make sure your pork cooks to 145 degrees F for juicy, tender chops. Be careful not to overcook your meat!
Recipe FAQs
Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. This temperature will make sure the meat is safe to eat while keeping the pork moist and tender so it will not dry out.
Marinate pork chops for at least an hour before putting them on the grill. If you have time, marinate the pork chops for up to 8 hours for the best results.
Pork chops should cook about 6-8 minutes on each side. The meat should reach 145 degrees F in the thickest part.
Pork chop leftovers will stay good in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to three days.
The secret to tender pork chops is using bone-in pork chops and cooking the meat to 145 degrees F. If you cook your meat to a higher temperature it can get tough and dry. Also, when you take the meat off the grill, let it rest for 5 minutes so the juices stay in the meat.
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Grilled Pork Chop Variations
While this recipe is delicious as-is, you can add other ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
- Spicy: You can add crushed red pepper flakes to this marinade. I typically add 1/4 teaspoon, but you can add more than that if you like.
- Asian: Try a blend of olive oil, toasted sesame oil, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic for the marinade.
- Mexican: You can marinate the chops in a blend of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder and onion powder. Another great option is to stir in a tablespoon of taco seasoning. Add a sprinkle of cilantro before serving for maximum flavor.
- Flavorings: You can make a sweeter pork chop by adding a tablespoon of honey to the marinade. You can make a more savory chop by adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the marinade. Try adding some Jamaican jerk seasoning for an extra kick of flavor.
I make these pork chops year round, they’re just that good. I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine does!
More Great Pork Recipes
Smoked Pork Tenderloin
1 hr 40 mins
Stuffed Pork Chops
30 mins
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
50 mins
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
4 hrs 10 mins
Brown Sugar Pork Chops
35 mins
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Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops bone in, or boneless
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons parsley leaves chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions
- Place the pork chops in a bowl or resealable gallon sized bag.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Pour the marinade over the meat. Marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium heat.
- Place the pork on the grill. Cook for 6-8 minutes per side or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chop registers 145 degrees F.
- Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then serve. Garnish with additional chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- You can use bone in or boneless pork chops. I prefer bone-in pork chops as they’re less likely to dry out on the grill.
- This marinade contains sugar which adds great flavor, but can burn on the grill. Make sure your grill is not too hot before you add your meat!
- Heat the grill before placing the pork on it so that the grate leaves nice grill marks on both sides of the pork chops.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure your pork cooks to 145 degrees F for juicy, tender chops.
Love this marinade making again tonight. Also delicious on salmon and grilled chicken!
Very good marinade. Pork chops were awesome.
Wow. Just wow.
This is also a nice marinade for grilled pork tenderloin, just cut the cooking time by a minute or so per side. Speaking from experience, the wife and I loved it!
Delicious marinade!! Thanks for sharing.
Made these tonight. Outstanding! So moist, tender, and flavorful.
Delicious and juicy pork chops! I really think it can be hard to find recipes that make flavorful pork chops but these were a homerun! The marinade is fast and easy to make and the pork chops I made marinated for about 4 hours. The grilling times listed on the recipe worked perfectly. Thanks for a great recipe!
Can these be in the marinated for several days? I would prefer to meal prep for at least 4 days at one time. Just wondering if there is negative science behind marinating it for days versus hours.
I really prefer to marinate for just about 24 hours, if you go past that, the texture of the meat can change and become mushy!
I’m giving this a try. I have the chops in the fridge marinating for about six hours. I figured there was no lemon juice or other acid in this marinade so as not to break down the meat. If you use lemon juice you might want to only marinate for an hour or two.
The picture shows them served on a bed of quinoa with bell peppers on the side. I am going to try to reproduce that. My idea is to lightly stir fry them in some olive oil and season with salt pepper and parsley. Any other suggestions?
First let me say that your recipes have always been AMAZING! I just adore you and THANK YOU! Question. Can this marinade be used for pork steaks, or do you have a recommendation?
Yes this will work for pork steaks!
Delicious! Will definitely make it again. Next time I will marinade it longer (only 4 hours this time but it was still delicious).
It occurred to me, that I frequently use your recipes and never comment. So,, here it is THANK YOU!! Your recipes are always on point and perfectly delicious! I stand humbled that you would share such valuable recipes. Thanks. My family loves your food!
This recipe is amazing, is my go to for pork chops now. I used orange instead of lemon because our stores was out of lemon. I have now tried it both ways and I like it better with orange but it was good with the lemon as well.
Made these tonight. Don’t usually grill pork chops as they tend to dry out but these were fantastic! Company worthy, thank you!
The marinade alone smelled great but was missing a little something so I opted for lemon juice as well. It brightened it up and gave it a beautiful flavor. I have the chops marinating in the fridge now, these are going to be FANTASTIC!
Grilled 6 chops last night and WOW what a flavor. No need to ever try any other recipe. Used bone-in and grilled 3 min per side, direct with the Weber lid on and the vents half open. I had them chilling in the marinade for about 6 hours.
Fantastic! Just made these. Thanks for the recipe.
These were great! Thanks for the recipe.
Made tonight and it was a hit. Made mostly as described. Probably used a bit more parsley and thyme because I used whatever I cut from the garden, maybe closer to a Tbsp each.
These were scrumptious! I was worried all the flavor profiles might overwhelm the pork – but it was perfect and nicely balanced! Juicy and flavorful – I’ll definitely cook these again.