Pork Chop Marinade

This pork chop marinade is a simple mixture made with common ingredients, but takes your pork chops from good to great!

How Does A Marinade Work?

One of the not-so-great things about pork chops is they can be a little bland. What to do about that? Brining is a great way to boost the flavor and juiciness of lean meats like pork, as is dry brining. But marinating pork chops is another great option.

You might think of a marinade as something that seeps into meat, adding flavor and also tenderizing that meat. But that’s actually a bit of a myth.

Marinades do add flavor and tenderness, but unlike a brine, they don’t actually seep into your meat more than about 1/8 of an inch. No matter how long you marinate.

It’s even possible to over-marinate. That’s because most marinades have one or more acidic ingredients, and acid will indeed initially tenderize the surface of your meat, but then it will go on to make it tough.

So instead of thinking of a marinade as a long soak that flavors and makes your meat tender through and through, think of it as a brief soak that will add a flavorful crust. How brief? That depends on the type of meat and how acidic your marinade is, but I’ve found that 15 to 20 minutes adds plenty of flavor—and I don’t recommend more than 45 minutes to an hour.

You can also try my Chicken Marinade and Steak Marinade recipes. 

The Makings Of A Marinade

A good marinade should have a fatty base because fat helps carry flavor and helps any particles in the marinade—chopped garlic or herbs, for example—stick to the meat.

It should also have some acid, to break down the meat, which helps the marinade absorb—but as you now know, not much beyond the surface. A little acid also helps balance the overall flavor of the marinade—like how acid gives a pleasant tang to salad dressing. This could be lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or in the case of this marinade recipe, apple cider vinegar.

A marinade should also have aromatics—things like herbs, spices, onion, and/or garlic.

Finally, a marinade might include salt, sugar, or salty or sugary ingredients, like soy sauce or honey.

The Best Pork Chop Marinade

My pork chop marinade puts it all together, inspired by the flavors that we all know go well with pork. It has olive oil as the fatty base, then adds apple juice and apple cider vinegar for flavor and acidity, plus aromatics in the form of sage, thyme, and garlic. Extras include a touch of soy sauce, a dab of Dijon mustard, and brown sugar to round out the flavor. 

Mix it up, pour it in a shallow baking dish or resealable bag with your chops, then set it all aside at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. (If you decide to marinate longer than this, put it in the fridge.) After marinating, cook them however you like for juicy pork chops that are sure to be devoured!

Cooking Marinated Pork Chops

Use your favorite method to cook your pork chops, some of mine are linked below. Pair with homemade no-peel applesauce to really bring out that apple juice flavor in the pork.

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This post originally appeared in October 2020 and was revised and republished in July 2023.