Grilled Pork Chops

Grilled Pork Chops

Many of you know I’m like a fish out of water in the wild, wild land of Minnesota. Wild is fabulous. We love Wild. We’re all about the great outdoors, so Wild is not what throws me off.

It’s the other W word. Now that we’re finally out of the freeze and heading into summer, I’m afraid to say the W word out loud. Suffice to say I’m giddy saying goodbye to my long down coat for awhile. However few months of warmth we get, we will SO take it.

Summer brings on a big, statewide happy sigh. It’s the season all the grills emerge from hibernation. Left, right, high, and low…it’s grill time.

Today, it’s all about these succulent, tender, flavorful grilled pork chops. The recipe is incredibly easy, using ordinary pantry ingredients to create extraordinary flavor. Let’s go.

The Marinade Makes all the Difference

We’ve long been fans of throwing pork chops on the grill. I’ve already bragged about my mama’s amazing pork chops when we grilled you these Honey Mustard Pork Chops.

But lately, we’ve been daydreaming about Hawaii and all its amazing flavors. That’s how these Grilled Pork Chops were born. They’re incredibly tender, juicy, and loaded with flavor. Savory umami flavor comes from soy sauce, while tantalizing sweetness is borrowed from brown sugar and pineapple juice – this is the secret ingredient! Pineapple juice contains just the right amount of acidity to help tenderize the meat.

Simply pantry seasoning like garlic powder, onion powder, and ground ginger fuse together for an irresistible aroma. Though none of the ingredients are fancy or hard to find, the grilled pork chops taste like they emerged from the grill of a skillful chef.

These Grilled Pork Chops only need a handful of basic ingredients to come true. Give your chops plenty of time to soak up all the tasty marinade; overnight is highly recommended, as that gives the flavors time to infuse throughout the pork.

You’ll definitely want to grill up some pineapples to go with these ridiculously delicious pork chops. To do so, simply brush pineapple rings with oil and grill until those beautiful grill lines appear and pineapples are softened.

What to serve with pork chops

• Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette are a delicious potato dish for any summer picnic, gathering, or family meal.
• Wild Rice Pilaf – this one goes with almost any meal you’d like to serve it with; finally, a tender wild rice that’s easy to make.
• Asian Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing – this is one of our family favorites. It has all the flavors you love about Chinese chicken salad, but in a pasta salad.
• Easiest Summer Italian Pasta Salad – we’ve yet to meet another Italian pasta salad quite this simple, fresh, and flavorful.
• Brown Sugar Baked Beans with Bacon – doctor up your baked beans with these easy tips.

More recipes for Your Grill

• Quick ‘n Easy Maple Glazed Pork Chops
• Hawaiian Grilled Cheese
• Honey Mustard Grilled Pork Chops
• Perfect, Smoky Pulled Pork (Slow Cooker)
• Hawaiian Grilled Cheese
• Honey Lime Grilled Salmon
• Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
• Hawaiian Grilled Steak Tacos

Watch Grilled Pork Chops in Action

Grilled Pork Chops

5 from 48 ratings

Print Pin SaveSaved

These marinated pork chops are fabulous on the grill. 

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 8 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 4 pork chops, center cut, about 3/4 inch thick each
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup soy sauce, regular strength, or Tamari (gluten-free )
• 1 can pineapple slices, with 1/4 cup juices reserved*
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• Oil for grilling
• Optional: Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Use paper towels to dry excess moisture from pork chops. Poke holes throughout chops with a fork. Set aside.
• In a very large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper. Whisk to combine well. Place pork chops in bowl, taking care to ensure both sides of each chop are fully coated and immersed in marinade. Cover tightly and chill in fridge at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight for best flavor.
• Grease and preheat your outdoor grill or indoor cast iron grill. Once grill is hot, remove chops from marinade, and grill on medium-high heat about 4 minutes per side, or until there are deep grill marks and center is no longer pink. You want it fully cooked, but take care not to overcook the meat (Note: Indoor cast iron grills may cook faster. Actual cook time depends on thickness of your chops, temperature of your grill, and temperature of your meat before cooking.)
• If using outdoor grill, you can use marinade for brushing on the meat during the first couple minutes of cooking, but not towards the end of cooking time. Discard excess marinade.
• Grill desired amount of pineapple rings until grill marks appear. Serve pineapple rings on top of grilled pork chops. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.

Notes

If you prefer not to include pineapple rings, you can buy pure pineapple juice to use for the marinade. Don’t skip the pineapple juice, as the acidity helps with tenderizing the meat.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡

Click here to add your own private notes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 27.1g | Fat: 4.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Cholesterol: 71.4mg | Sodium: 495.3mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 17.1g

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose

Method: Grill