This easy pork chop marinade has bright Asian flavors, with a bite from ginger that will tickle your taste buds! You can use this recipe on steaks, chops, roasts, tenderloin, or any other meat of your choice.
What’s a better way to prepare a tasty pork dish than with a marinade? This easy pork chop marinade recipe is all you need!
This enhances the flavor of everything it touches and it also tenderizes the meat for a juicier, more flavorful experience.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- No fancy or expensive ingredients.
The ingredients are very simple, and even the substitutions are things you may already have in your pantry. - Versatile
This marinade is a multipurpose wonder! You can use it to add fantastic flavor to a roast, fish, seafood, and steaks, too. - Comes together in a snap!
All you have to do is combine the ingredients and let the pork marinate for at least an hour. No long prep time, so you can get dinner on the table fast!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Soy Sauce – this is the base, as it gives it a mellow, umami flavor that we want. Feel free to use low-sodium or regular soy sauce, whichever you prefer.
- Ginger – this gives our marinade its signature zing, but if you don’t have fresh ginger, you can substitute it with ginger paste or ground ginger.
- Honey – this brings out the sweetness of the marinade and also helps to tenderize the pork. If you don’t have honey, feel free to use brown sugar or maple syrup.
- Seasoning – We used salt and black pepper to season our marinade. If you’re using a regular soy sauce, you may want to leave out any additional sodium.
Essential Tools
Pork Marinade Recipe Tips
- Marinate the meat for at least an hour.
This will allow the flavors of the marinade to really sink in. For extra flavor, or to save time with your meal prep, you can let the pork marinate overnight in the fridge. - Let the pork sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before cooking.
This ensures that it cooks evenly, and also helps to create a nice sear on the pork chops.
- Use aromatics.
Adding garlic, scallions, and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme can add a lot of flavors. You can add them to the marinade mixture, or you can just sprinkle them on the meat before cooking.
- Do not rinse the meat after marinating.
Rinsing off a marinade defeats the purpose, as the water will wash away most of the flavor.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip – Space Saving Tip
To save freezer space, store the Asian marinade in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Be sure to push out any air as you seal the bag. Then, lay the bag down flat in your freezer.
To store
Transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing
If you want to make extra and use it later, this can be frozen for up to 3 months.
When you want to use your marinade for pork chops (or for any other use), transfer the bag to the fridge and let it thaw overnight.
To use this easy marinade for pork chops, pour the mixture over the meat and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
Any leftover that didn’t touch the raw meat can be used to baste the pork while it’s cooking. We usually set aside 1/4 cup or so to use for basting.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
To prevent the risk of serious food poisoning, never reuse pork chop marinade, and don’t serve it as a sauce or dip either.
When you are finished marinating and basting, immediately toss any remaining liquid into the trash.
Pork is safe to eat when the internal temperature at the thickest portion of the meat reaches 145ºF.
For an accurate reading, be sure that thermometer probe isn’t touching any bones.
Always let the meat rest for five minutes before serving. This prevents the juices in the meat from running out… For the juiciest pork, you want those juices to stay inside!
If you love this recipe, the next time you make chicken for dinner, make some balsamic chicken marinade. Your taste buds will thank you.
Love Pork Dinners? Here Are Our Favorites…
- Smoked Pork Tenderloin
- Baked Pork Steak
- Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin With Potatoes and Gravy
If you tried this pork chop marinade recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Pork Chop Marinade
Equipment
- 1 small mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 glass measuring cups
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger root (1-inch piece) *See notes for substitutes
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt omit if using regular soy sauce
Instructions
Marinate the steaks
- Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Add pork to a gallon sized food storage bag or a large container with a lid. Pour marinade over the meat.Seal bag or close container, then transfer to the refrigerator. Marinate the pork for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
- Before cooking the meat, drain and discard all of the marinade. Do not reuse or consume used marinade.
Notes
- If fresh ginger is unavailable, substitute fresh with 1 tablespoon ginger paste or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
- This pork marinade recipe will give you 1 cup of liquid, which is enough to marinate about 2 pounds of meat. For larger cuts of meat, the recipe be doubled or tripled.
*nutritional facts shown are for 1/2 of the marinade recipe - To store – Transfer your marinade to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing – If you want to make extra and use it later, this marinade for pork can be frozen for up to 3 months.
When you want to use your marinade for pork chops (or for any other use), transfer the bag to the fridge and let it thaw overnight.
To use this easy marinade for pork chops, pour the mixture over the meat and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
Laurie says
This recipe doesn’t tell how to cook the chops. Bake? Sautéed??
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
Hi! This post talks about the marinade recipe.
Linda Butler says
Recipe could use some work. But most of all recipes always include the temp to cook the pork and how long.
Bec - TFN Team Member says
Thank you for your honest feedback, Linda. We’ll definitely take your comments into consideration.
Don says
The flavors in this marinade are perfectly balanced!