This Pork Marinade will make your pork extra tender and flavorful. A simple and easy marinade recipe is made with soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, ketchup, garlic and vinegar. It’s the best way to tenderize pork for grilling, baking or pan-frying! Only 15 minutes to make it like restaurant quality!
This homemade pork marinade helps to tenderize the meat as well as boosting flavor. As pork meat is a lean cut with mild flavor, this marinade adds fantastic balance of sweet, salty and tangy flavors! It’s quick to make with ingredients that are already in your pantry.
This recipe works great with any type of pork: both bone-in and boneless pork chops, pork loin, tenderloin, and sliced pork. I usually whip up the marinade in minutes and let the pork loin chops soak the sauce overnight. After that, they just need a few minutes to sear on the grill or a hot pan. A stunning dinner is ready in minutes! The marinade keeps the meat super juicy, tender and rich in taste. Say good-bye to dry and tough pork meat!
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
This marinade uses minimal simple ingredients and will give you amazing flavor and perfectly cooked juicy pork chops!
- Soy Sauce: High-quality soy sauce is the secret sauce for pork chop marinade. It acts as a brine and makes your pork chops tender and juicy in addition to adding a salty depth of flavor (use a low-sodium light soy sauce if you’d like to reduce the salt intake).
- Brown Sugar: Another secret ingredient that brings out the natural flavor of pork chops. It also adds some rich sweetness and helps to create a caramelized crust once the chops hit the heat. I prefer brown sugar, but you can substitute with white sugar or honey.
- Ketchup: As the basis for so may barbecue sauces, ketchup is an important ingredient that helps the chops to brown in a flash. It also contributes stickiness, allowing the sauce to adhere better to the chops.
- Olive Oil: I used extra virgin olive oil which keeps the meat extra moist and juicy.
- Garlic: I love the garlicky flavor, and you can substitute it with garlic powder
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Acid from the vinegar helps to “break down” the protein, making the meat tender. You can substitute with white vinegar or rice vinegar. Or replace it with pineapple juice for a Hawaiian style marinade.
All of the ingredients above work together in such harmony to make the PERFECT pork marinade! I always use 1/2 to 3/4 of the marinade and save some for basting during cooking.
(Note: Full recipe is at the bottom of the post)
How to Make Pork Marinade
- Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, olive oil, garlic and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Whisk until mixed completely.
- Pierce pork chops with a fork all over, and then place in a large resealable plastic bag.
- Pour the marinade over pork chops, squeeze out excess air and seal the bag.
- Shake to coat the pork chops with marinade thoroughly.
- Place the marinade in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
How Long Do You Marinate Pork?
For the best result, pierce the pork with a fork all over to ensure the marinade penetrates more into the meat. The key is to marinate pork for more than 1 hour.
Ideal Marinating Times
- Thin Cut Pork (less than ½ inch thick): 1 to 3 hours
- Thick Cut Pork Chops (thicker than 1 inch): 2 to 6 hours
If you are short of time, even 30 minutes of marinating make a remarkable difference, so don’t skip this process. If you want to make it ahead, you can store the marinated pork chops in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Cook Marinade Pork?
Take your pork chops out of the fridge 15-20 minutes and let them come to room temperature before cooking. Remove the chops from the marinade and cook them until an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F (63°C). There are a few ways to cook the marinated pork chops (time guidance is for 1-inch thick chops):
- Grilled Pork Marinade: Brush grill with oil and set on medium-high. Place your pork chops on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes each side until caramelized. You can baste with the leftover marinade for extra flavor for 1 minute before serving. Let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Pan Fried Pork Marinade: Heat your skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoons of oil. Add your pork chops and fry for about 5 minutes and then flip. Cook the other side for about 5 minutes until it’s cooked through.
- Baked Pork Chop Marinade: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Place your marinated pork chops on a sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes.
Note: Thinner cut pork chops will require less time.
Tips and Tricks
- Pierce the pork with a fork all over to allow the marinade to penetrate more into the meat
- Always marinate your pork chops in the refrigerator, but bring them to room temperature about 20 minutes before cooking. This will ensure more tender texture and even cooking.
- When your pork chops are cooking, try not to touch them except when you need to flip them.
Best Pork Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
Marinade Sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
For the Pork
- 4 pork chops boneless or bone-in
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Pork Marinade: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, garlic and olive oil. Whisk until mixed completely.
- Save 1/4 -1/2 of the marinade in a separate bowl for basting during cooking.
- Pierce pork chops with a fork all over, and then place in a large resealable plastic bag.
- Pour the marinade over pork chops, squeeze out excess air and seal the bag. Shake and massage to coat in the marinade.
- Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or leave them in the fridge overnight.
- Cook Marinated Pork: Remove the pork chops from the fridge and let them come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking.
- Heat up your grill on medium-high or place a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add your pork chops and sear for about 5 minutes and then flip. Cook the other side for about 5 minutes until cooked through.
- Let them rest for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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