Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Lemon Garlic Marinated Grilled Pork Chops Recipe
Nothing provides flavour to a pork chop like an excellent marinade! These Grilled Pork Chops are infused with vibrant lemon flavours and loads of garlic.
Terrific to throw on the BBQ – of pan fry them if it’s not grilling season. They brown properly on the skin and are additional juicy on the within due to the marinade!
Grilled Pork Chops – Marinade
This lemon garlic marinade is SO GOOD with grilled pork chops – although additionally glorious with chicken and lamb so I’ve have notes for marinating occasions and cooking instructions for these too.
This marinade is a bit of totally different to most that I share in that there’s a really excessive ratio of lemon juice in it. Which suggests should you go away it for too lengthy, it begins to “prepare dinner” the pork – in the identical approach citrus juices (lemon and lime) is used to “prepare dinner” uncooked fish to make ceviche with out going close to the range.
On the plus facet, the tremendous marinating power of lemon juice signifies that in contrast to most marinades, you don’t want to depart it in a single day for it to work its magic – even 1 hour is lengthy sufficient!
How lengthy to marinate pork chops?
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1 hour minimal – you’ll be shocked how a lot flavour will get infused in such a short while!
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3 hours is right;
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As much as 24 hours is absolutely the max – past this, the floor texture of the pork turns white which is as a result of acid within the lemon juice “cooking” the pork.
Pork Chop Marinade Elements
Listed here are the elements required for this straightforward however extremely efficient marinade for pork chops:
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Contemporary garlic
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Dried oregano
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Lemon juice and zest (zest is the place you get essentially the most lemon flavour, the juice is usually simply bitter)
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Olive oil
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Salt and pepper
It’s excellent grilled as a result of the excessive warmth will sear the crust superbly. However it may possibly after all be cooked on the range as properly!
How lengthy do you have to prepare dinner pork chops on the grill?
Cooking pork chops on the grill takes 4 minutes on the primary facet, then 3 minutes on the opposite facet, adopted by a 4 minute relaxation. That is for pork chops which might be round 2cm / 4/5″ thick, 280g/9 oz every, bone in.
I cooked half of those Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops on the range (picture beneath) and half on the BBQ (see picture on the prime). You’ll be able to see the distinction within the crust, just because I get the next warmth on the BBQ.
I’ve additionally offered instructions for the right way to bake these pork chops within the oven – the one approach you’ll get a pleasant browning is to make use of the grill/broiler for an excellent 5 – 7 minutes to brown the highest facet solely. So the baking time is significantly lowered to cater for this.
What these grilled pork chops style like
Whereas there’s a number of lemon within the marinade, you don’t get sharp bitter flavours as soon as the pork chops are grilled as a result of the sharpness of the lemon is tempered as soon as cooked, leaving you with tasty earthy lemon flavours.
And naturally, you’ll be able to’t miss all that garlic!!! – Johnsat xx
Strive these on the facet
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Mrs Brodie’s Well-known Potato Salad (for mayo free, do that more healthy scrumptious Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing)
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Lemon Potato Salad – contemporary and vibrant!
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Coleslaw (additionally see mayo free, more healthy Yogurt Coleslaw Dressing)
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Huge, fats juicy Greek Salad
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Mexican Crimson Rice – a superb seasoned rice that goes with every thing!
And extra pork chops recipes
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One other nice pork chop marinade – my go to for all events!
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Sticky Baked Pork Chops – you in all probability have already got every thing required for the sauce!
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French Onion Smothered Pork Chops
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Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops
Marinated Grilled Pork Chops
Watch the right way to make it
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano (or other herbs, Note 1)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup (85 ml) lemon juice (1 large or 2 medium lemons)
- 1/4 cup (65 ml) olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 4 pork chops bone in , 2cm / 4/5″ thick about 280g/9 oz each (Note 2)
- Oil , for cooking
Instructions
- Whisk Marinade ingredients in a bowl (or ziplock bag). Add pork. Marinade for 1 hr minimum, 3 hours ideal, 12 hours max (Note 3).
- Take the pork out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
- Shake excess marinade off (but don’t wipe dry) and cook using preferred method. Pictured in post served with Minted Yoghurt – see notes!
- Brush grills / plate with oil and heat on high until smoking.
- Place pork on grills and cook the first side for 4 minutes until it is nicely charred. Turn and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Turn the porks on their side to briefly sear the fat side (see video). Transfer to plate, rest for 3 – 5 minutes then serve.
- Heat skillet with about 1 tbsp oil over high heat. Add pork and cook for 1 minute, then turn DOWN slightly to medium high. Cook for another 3 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Turn the porks on their side to briefly sear the fat side (see video).
- Transfer to plate, rest for 3 – 5 minutes then serve.
- Preheat oven to 200C / 390F (fan forced / convection) or 220C / 430F (standard oven).
- Place oven shelf in top 1/3 of oven.
- Place pork on tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then flick to grill/broiler and grill on high for 5 minutes until the surface is nicely browned.
- Transfer to plate, rest for 3 – 5 minutes then serve.
Notes
1. Herbs: I love the combination of oregano and lemon and loads of garlic, very Greek. Feel free to swap this with other herbs – I’d reduce to 2 tsp for thyme, 1 tsp for rosemary, tarragon, sage, but keep the same amount for mild dried herbs like parsley, basil, chives.
2. Chops – For thinner chops, cook on high heat for less time and wait until the pan is smoking hot. You want to get a nice crust on the chops!
CHICKEN – this is such a great marinade for chicken too! Use either boneless thigh or cut breast in half horizontally to create 2 thin steaks, then marinade for just 30 minutes, no longer than 1 hour otherwise the lemon will start cooking the chicken. Maximum 2 – 3 hours!!
3. The marinading time for this recipe is less than the usual because it has lemon juice in it which can “cook” proteins and cause them to go beyond tenderised to either a weird too-soft texture / toughen up. 3 hours is ideal. 24 hours is the absolute max.
See Note 2 above for chicken marinade times. I don’t recommend using this marinade for fish (it will cook it, turning it into ceviche!). Prawns / shrimp would be 5 – 10 minutes max. Lamb – probably same as pork. Beef can probably handle a bit longer but I’d still do the same time as pork.
4. Minted Yoghurt – optional (because the chops are juicy juicy as they are!!). Yoghurt + finely chopped mint + minced garlic + squeeze of lemon juice + salt and pepper + drizzle of olive oil. Mix, set aside for 20 minutes!
5. Nutrition: Hard to do because all oil and salt in the marinade doesn’t get absorbed. So I’ve done the nutrition using 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, using boneless chops (ie the bone is excluded from the Servings weight shown below), assuming this is cooked on the BBQ.
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