Best Marinade for Pork Chops & Recipes

This is the ultimate guide to preparing and using some awesome marinades for your pock chops.

Let’s dive right in

How To Marinate Pork Chops In Buttermilk?

If you are looking for a mild marinade, buttermilk serves as an excellent marinade for pork chops. The buttermilk helps to tenderize the pork chops, making them more juicy and flavorful.

Apart from the above, here are some other usual benefits of using buttermilk for pork chops, for example, marinating the pork chops in buttermilk will help to keep them moist during cooking, preventing them from drying out or becoming tough.

Buttermilk is a popular choice to marinate pork chops and thus we have a dedicated article on the topic, check out recipes and FAQs regarding buttermilk and pork chops here>

How Long Do You Marinate Pork Chops?

According to USDA, you can marinate pork chops safely in buttermilk for 3-5 days. Most recipes would need shorter marination times.

How To Marinate Pork Chops In Milk?

There are several reasons why marinating pork chops in milk can be beneficial.

First, the milk is a mild marinade and can help to tenderize the meat. This helps if the pork chops are tough or dry.

Second, the milk can also add flavor to the meat but unlike other dairy-based marinades (buttermilk, etc.), it is not tangier. So, you get a more neutral taste.

Finally, the milk marinade is great for keeping pork chops moist during cooking.

Milk Marinade Recipe For Pork Chops

Here is a quick recipe for marinating pork chops in milk –

1. Take a plastic/glass container
2. Mix the herbs and seasoning you want to add to the milk, some which go great with milk are – garlic, cumin, hot or smoked paprika, rosemary, etc.
3. Place pork chops in the container
4. pour enough milk so to cover the pork chops completely
5. Put in the fridge for 7 to 12 hours (but not more than 5 days)

How To Marinate Pork Chops With BBQ Sauce

The main reason to marinate pork chops in BBQ sauce is for the flavor. The sauce will help to tenderize the meat and also keep it moist while cooking. Not to mention the color it adds to the final recipe.

BBQ Sauce Marinade Recipe For Pork Chops

You can experiment a lot with making BBQ sauce marinade. Here is one simple marinade recipe –

1. Nicely apply seasoning to your pork chops. There are several seasonings that go well with BBQ sauce, including – onion powder, garlic, paprika, etc. If you are not sure of what seasoning to choose, you can directly use the readymade BBQ seasoning you like.
2. Place pork chops in the plastic freezer-safe bag
3. Put seasoning and then add BBQ sauce of your choice into the bag so that pork chops are well covered
4. Put in the fridge for 7 to 12 hours

You can cook / grill with marinade if you like.

Can You Marinate Pork Chops In Beer?

Yes, you can marinate pork chops in beer. Beer is a mild marinade that not only helps in tenderizing the meat but also adds a unique flavor to the pork chops recipe not possible with other marinades.

To prepare the marinade, you can choose from a variety of beers – lager, dark beers, Ale beers, etc. In a nutshell, almost any beer available will do the job.

How To Marinate Pork Chops With Beer?

Here is a step by step process to marinate pork chops with beer –

1. Choose the seasoning of your liking, with beer, seasoning such as garlic, onion powder, paprika, and cumin go very well.
2. Mix the seasoning, olive oil (to keep pork chops moist), and beer in a big bowl
3. Place pork chops
4. Cover the container and put it in the fridge for 7-12 hours

How To Marinate Pork Chops In Salad Dressing

Salad dressings are a great way to infuse flavors and tenderize pock chops. Moreover, they are super easy to use as a marinade.

The two main types of salad dressing are vinaigrette, creamy, and fruit. Vinaigrette dressing is made with oil and vinegar. Creamy dressings are made with mayonnaise, yogurt, or sour cream.

Both types have different acids – the Vinaigrette dressing has vinegar while the creamy dressings have yogurt.

Recipe Of Marinating Pork Chops In Salad Dressing

Here is a quick step by step recipe to marinate pork chops in salad dressing –

1. Choose the salad dressing of your choice which goes well with your final recipe flavor
2. Put pork chops in a large bowl and pour the salad dressing so that all pieces are covered.
3. Put some olive oil
4. Mix and cover the container and place in the fridge for 7-12 hours. You can also transfer the contents in a freezer bag or Ziploc bag

How To Marinate Pork Chops In Pineapple Juice

Pineapple juice is a good marinade because it contains enzymes that help break down proteins, making the meat more tender. Another reason why Pineapple juice is popular as a marinade is because it imparts super flavor to marinades, thanks to its sweet & tangy taste.

How Long Can You Marinate The Pork In Pineapple Juice

According to USDA, you can marinate pork chops in pineapple juice for up to 5 days. Most recipes call for a much shorter duration of marination, typically between 5 hrs to 12 hours (overnight)

If you keep pork chops for a much longer time in the marinade the meat will become mushy.

Pineapple Juice Marinade Recipe For Pork Chops

Here is a quick recipe for marinating pork chops in pineapple juice –

1. Put pineapple juice in the big bowl
2. Choose your seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, etc. work very well
3. Add salt, brown sugar, black pepper for taste
4. Add pork chops to the bowl and mix properly. Pour the whole thing into freezer bags and place in the fridge for 7-12 hours

Here is a quick recipe –

Can You Marinate Pork Chops In Orange Juice

Yes, orange juice makes an excellent marinade, thanks to its acidic nature. If you are looking for a sweet and tangy flavored marinade, orange juice is a superb choice.

Orange Juice Marinade Recipe For Pork Chops

Here is a quick recipe for marinating pork chops in orange juice –

1. Pour orange juice into a large bowl
2. Mix seasonings – cumin, garlic, red pepper, cayenne pepper work very well with orange juice
3. Add some olive oil and sugar and mix well
4. Place pork chops in the bowl and mix well. Ensure that the quantity of marinade is sufficient to soak the pork chops fully.
5. Transfer these into Ziploc bags/freezer bags and put them in the fridge for 7-12 hours

Here is a quick recipe video for the same –

Can You Marinate Pork Chops In Italian Dressing

Yes, you can marinate pork chops in Italian dressing with great results. Italian seasonings impart super flavors to pork chops and are very easy to use. Apart from this, the vinegar present in the seasoning ensures that the meat is tenderized properly.

How Long Can You Marinate Pork Chops In Italian Dressing?

According to USDA, you can marinate pork chops in Italian dressing for 3-5 days safely. Most recipes call for much shorter periods of marination.

How To Marinate Pork Chops In Italian Dressing

Here is a quick recipe for marinating pork chops in Italian dressing –

1. In a large resealable bag, combine Italian dressing with the pork chops.
2. You can add other seasons based on your taste and mix well
3. Seal the bag and turn to coat the pork chops in the dressing.
4. Keep refrigerated for 7-12 hours

Here is a quick recipe video –

Why Pork Chops are Great!

A pork chop is a cut of meat taken from the shoulder, back, or neck area of a pig.

Pork chops are typically cut to a thickness of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm), and can be grilled, baked, fried, or roasted.

People prefer pork chops because they are leaner meat than other options, such as beef.

They are also less expensive than some other meats, such as steak. Pork chops can be cooked in a variety of ways, so they offer a lot of versatility for meal planning.

Final Words

There are so many ways you can marinate pork chops. I hope this article helped you identify some great ways.

How do you marinate pork chops? Share your views

Do share this with all pork chop lovers!