Marinated Pork Chops

Pork chops are portions of meat, prepared by cutting perpendicularly to the spine. Hence, the result is meat slices that contain part of the vertebra and associated ribs. If cooked properly, these cut pieces make delectable dishes. You will come across many ways of cooking pork chops. But, the thumb rule to decide preparatory treatment is the thickness of the cut meat. Like for instance, thicker cuts are best cooked after brining for at least 2 hours; whereas thinner pork chops are marinated first to make the meat tender and flavorful. This article highlights on the various ways of cooking marinated pork chops.

How to Marinate Pork Chops?

Marinating pork chops is very simple; what you need to do is to marinade meat cuts for an appropriate time and do not overcook the meat. While deciding the cooking time for pork recipes, consider their thickness. Hence, the thicker your meat pieces are, the longer time they will take to cook properly and vice versa. Discussed below are common cooking methods of marinated pork chops:

Cooking Pork Chops in the Oven

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops (cut to 1 - 1-inch thick pieces)
• cup soy sauce
• cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• teaspoon ground fresh ginger
• cup water

Directions for Preparation

In a mixing bowl, combine together the marinade ingredients - soy sauce, orange juice, honey, ground ginger and water. Blend well the mixture, then pour it in a zip lock plastic bag. To this bag, add cleaned pork chops. Close zipper and shake many times, so that the meat slices are coated evenly with the flavoring mixture. Before baking, marinade meat at room temperature for 2 hours. If time permits, marinade overnight in the refrigerator.

Once you are done with the marinating time, remove meat about 1 hour prior to baking in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place pork chops in the oven and depending upon the thickness, bake for approximately 40 - 60 minutes. Turn the chops after 20 minutes or after the sides are cooked well. Bake the other sides of the pork chops for the same time. This is all about how to cook marinated pork chops in oven. Serve these oven-baked pork chops with mashed potatoes, noodles and fried vegetables.

Cooking Pork Chops in Crock Pot

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops
• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks (with juice)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• cup packed brown sugar

Directions for Preparation

In a bowl, mix well the ingredients - pineapple chunks, soy sauce and brown sugar. Put clean pork chops in a zipper bag. Pour the flavoring mixture in the zipper type bag. If you have time, allow the meat to marinade overnight in the refrigerator to impart more flavor. Or else, you can cook directly after marinating for 45 minutes. Transfer meat and marinade in the crock pot and cook in a low temperature setting for about 6 - 8 hours.

Cooking Pork Chops on the Grill

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops (1-inch thick)
• 2 teaspoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste
• 2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions for Preparation

Take a shallow dish and combine the marinade ingredients - molasses, garlic paste, ground pepper and salt. Rub the pork chops with this marinade mixture, making sure you cover the sides, top and bottom. Keep the meat in the shallow dish, cover it with a lid and marinade overnight. If possible, turn the pork chops after every couple of hours. Before grilling pork chops on the grill, remove them from the refrigerator and allow to settle at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Start the grill, close lid (for charcoal and propane grill) and leave it for 30 minutes. Arrange the pork chops in the grill surface and cook for 3 - 4 minutes per side at a high temperature setting. Check whether the meat is done or not. If not, reduce temperature and grill for another 2 minutes per side. Remove the grilled pork chops and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving. To make the grilled chops more tasty, brush with marinade sauce in between while grilling.

Use your culinary skill to make the best flavorful marinade for pork chops. You can add oregano, basil and other strong herbs of your preferred choice in the marinade recipe. Or else, if you have less time in hand, take the ready-made option. Cook for the appropriate time and your marinated pork chop recipes will taste delicious.