Table of Contents
- The best smoky pork chop marinade for grilling and pan-frying
- Easy pork chop marinade ingredients
- How long can you marinate pork chops for?
- Similar Recipes on flaevor.com
- Recipe: Smoky Marinated Pork Chops
The best smoky pork chop marinade for grilling and pan-frying
Here is a recipe to enhance your grilled or pan-fried pork chops. Marinades are the most effective way to add flavour to any type of meat, fish or vegetable, and are super easy to make. This marinade recipe combines the smokiness of paprika, the earthy tones of cumin, the herbal notes of oregano, and a hint of sour, sweet and spice from red wine vinegar, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Served with quick pickled red onions and a wedge of lime, it’s a recipe you’ll love to make all summer and winter.
Easy pork chop marinade ingredients
All great recipes are about balance of flavour and the right combination of sweet, sour, savory, bitter and spicy (or umami). This simple combination has all those elements with easy-to-find ingredients. For this smoky pork marinade, you will need
- Olive oil
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Red wine vinegar
- Oregano
- Cayenne Pepper
- Maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- Salt
How long can you marinate pork chops for?
Here’s a guide to how long you should marinate pork chops:
- 2-4 hours: The marinade will have time to infuse and add flavor to the meat. However, it is not long enough to tenderize the meat.
- 8-12 hours (or overnight): This time frame allows the marinade to penetrate deeper into the meat. This provides good flavor and begins to tenderize the pork nicely.
- 24 hours: This is where you will see the most spectacular results. Marinating for 24 hours allows the acids in the marinade to penetrate deep into the meat, tenderising it and providing the best quality flavour and texture.
Similar Recipes on flaevor.com
- Vietnamese Pork Skewers with Nuoc Cham
- Chinese Pork Mince Char Siu
- Pork Chop, Celeriac Remoulade and Apple Date Sauce
Recipe: Smoky Marinated Pork Chops
Ingredients
Smoky Pork Marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika See recipe notes for recommendation
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup or brown sugar
Pork and sides
- 2 thin and fatty pork chops (see recipe notes below)
- 50g butter
- Sea salt flakes
- 1 medium red onion
- 60ml red wine vinegar
- 80ml water
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade: Combine all marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Season both chops generously with salt on each side and rub into the meat.
- Spread the marinade between the two chops, rubbing evenly on each side of the meat. Place the chops in a bowl and cover. Allow to marinate 2 to 24 hours.
- Start the quick onion pickles: Peel and slice the red onion very thinly, place in a bowl, season well with salt, then add the red wine vinegar and water. Using your hands, scrunch the onions inside the pickling liquid to crush them a little. Cover and transfer to the fridge.
- When ready to cook: Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chops for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 minutes (the same cooking time applies to bbq and grills).
- While the meat is resting, add the butter to the same pan and melt, scraping up the remaining cooking juices and marinade and mixing it with the butter to make a sauce.
- To finish: Cut the pork chops into thick strips. Drizzle with the marinated melted butter. Serve with a side of drained pickled red onions and a squeeze of lime juice.