Lemon Garlic Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

Terrific to throw on the BBQ – of pan fry them if it’s not grilling season. They brown nicely on the outside and are extra juicy on the inside thanks to the marinade!

Grilled Pork Chops – Marinade

This lemon garlic marinade is SO GOOD with grilled pork chops – though also excellent with chicken and lamb so I’ve have notes for marinating times and cooking directions for those too. This marinade is a little different to most that I share in that there’s a very high ratio of lemon juice in it. Which means if you leave it for too long, it starts to “cook” the pork – in the same way citrus juices (lemon and lime) is used to “cook” raw fish to make ceviche without going near the stove. On the plus side, the super marinating strength of lemon juice means that unlike most marinades, you don’t need to leave it overnight for it to work its magic – even 1 hour is long enough!

1 hour minimum – you’ll be surprised how much flavour gets infused in such a short time! 3 hours is ideal; Up to 24 hours is the absolute max – beyond this, the surface texture of the pork turns white which is due to the acid in the lemon juice “cooking” the pork.

Pork Chop Marinade Ingredients

Here are the ingredients required for this simple but highly effective marinade for pork chops:

Fresh garlic Dried oregano Lemon juice and zest (zest is where you get the most lemon flavour, the juice is mostly just sour) Olive oil Salt and pepper

It’s ideal grilled because the high heat will sear the crust beautifully. But it can of course be cooked on the stove as well!

I cooked half of these Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops on the stove (photo below) and half on the BBQ (see photo at the top). You can see the difference in the crust, simply because I get a higher heat on the BBQ. I’ve also provided directions for how to bake these pork chops in the oven – the only way you’ll get a nice browning is to use the grill/broiler for a good 5 – 7 minutes to brown the top side only. So the baking time is considerably reduced to cater for this.

What these grilled pork chops taste like

While there’s a lot of lemon in the marinade, you don’t get sharp sour flavours once the pork chops are grilled because the sharpness of the lemon is tempered once cooked, leaving you with tasty earthy lemon flavours. And of course, you can’t miss all that garlic!!! – Nagi xx

Try these on the side

Mrs Brodie’s Famous Potato Salad (for mayo free, try this healthier delicious Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing) Lemon Potato Salad – fresh and bright! Coleslaw (also see mayo free, healthier Yogurt Coleslaw Dressing) Big, fat juicy Greek Salad Mexican Red Rice – a fabulous seasoned rice that goes with everything!

And more pork chops recipes

Another great pork chop marinade – my go to for all occasions! Sticky Baked Pork Chops – you probably already have everything required for the sauce! French Onion Smothered Pork Chops Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops