If you love to cook on the grill during the summer, then this is the perfect pork chop recipe. It was one of my mom’s, and it’s so easy that it hardly qualifies as a recipe (that’s my favorite kind!). We love it so much that we never cook pork chops any other way at our house. I serve it to guests all the time, and it never fails.
First, a word on the chops. I prefer to use the boneless ones. At our grocery stores, they tend to be cut a bit thicker than the bone-in ones (1/2″ to 1″ thick) and my husband says that they cook more evenly on the grill.
Here’s all you do: a few hours before dinner, sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with garlic powder (NOT garlic salt!) and prick them all over with a fork. Then, shake soy sauce on both sides of the chops until they’re evenly covered. You don’t need to leave bunches of standing soy sauce in the bottom of the pan, just enough so that when you turn the pork chops over, they get coated. I usually flip them every 30 minutes or so and let them sit at room temperature until they’re ready to cook. You could also keep them in the fridge overnight, and turn them every six hours or so.
The reason you don’t want to use garlic salt is that combined with the high salt content of the soy sauce, your pork chops would be WAY too salty!
Easy and Delicious Pork Chops
There are only TWO ingredients in this marinade, but I've never found one I like better!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops (Can use bone in if you prefer)
- soy sauce
- garlic powder
Instructions
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Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with garlic powder and soy sauce, turning with a fork to be sure all of the meat is covered
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Let rest at room temperature for about an hour, turning after 30 minutes, or in refrigerator for the day, turning every 2 hours or so.
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Cook on the grill over high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Let them rest (cover them with foil to keep them warm) for several minutes before you eat. For thicker chops (about 1″ thick), do the same thing–cook 2-3 minutes per side on high and turn them a quarter turn after about a minute if you want to give them a cross-sear–then turn the heat down to low and give them a few more minutes per side until they’re done.
Please be a friend and don’t mention the mess in my kitchen. We’re moving in two weeks and everything is everywhere right now.
That’s it. Seriously! Then, send them out to the grill and prepare your side dishes.
Pork is easy to cook on the grill, but it seems to me that the most common mistake people make is overcooking it so that it’s dry. I asked my husband how he cooked these chops that were about 1/2″ thick when we started. He said he preheated the grill on high, then simply cooked the chops 2-3 minutes on each side. Let them rest on the table (cover them with foil to keep them warm) for several minutes before you eat. Always let meat rest before you serve it–it seals in the juices! For thicker chops (about 1″ thick), do the same thing–cook 2-3 minutes per side on high and turn them a quarter turn after about a minute if you want to give them a cross-sear–then turn the heat down to low and give them a few more minutes per side until they’re done. My husband is a serious grill-master, and can tell by touch whether or not meat is done, but practice makes perfect, so keep trying!
The outside of these chops is crusty and almost carmelized, and the inside is perfectly cooked and moist. They’re great with roasted potatoes, corn, and green beans, or really any other sides. Yum!
Thanks for stopping by!
Great recipe!…I use soy sauce in lots of recipes…learned to cook with it as my mom is Japanese..
I’ll bet you have lots of great recipes, then, Shirley. Yum!
Sounds good, I use soy sauce in a lot of things too. I use Worcestershire sauce sometimes depending on what I am making.
I love Worchestershire sauce, too–one of my very favorites. Glad you stopped by, Bonnie!
i don’t own a grill, can these be done in the oven? At what temperature and for how long?
I’m sure you could do them in the oven on the broil setting, or even pan fried on the stovetop in a grill pan. I couldn’t tell you how long since that would vary based on your temperature and thickness of the chops you’re using, but there are lots of handy tables online that can give you approximate cooking times.
Hope that helps!
Christy