Marinated Pork Chops with Soy Sauce, Cumin, Lime, and Oregano

Low-carb Marinated Pork Chops with Soy Sauce, Cumin, Lime, and Oregano marinate all day; then grill the pork chops, make a salad, and dinner is ready.

PIN the marinated Pork Chops to try them later!

I pulled some pork chops out of the freezer and decided to use them for Marinated Pork Chops with Soy Sauce, Cumin, Lime, and Oregano so I could take better photos and entice you to try these grilled pork chops that I first made over ten years ago! And these pork chops were just as delicious as I remembered them, and the pork chops were devoured by all!

I’ve shared a few recipes for grilled pork chops through the years, including one that a Lake Powell client used to call the world’s best pork chops, and this recipe is is another winner for pork cooked on the grill; I loved how the touch of cumin and oregano in the marinade worked with the flavor of the grilled pork.

I used thick bone-in pork chops from Costco, and when I opened the package they weren’t even all the same cut of pork, which didn’t make for great photography results but didn’t stop us from enjoying them. And these tasty pork chops are low-carb, Keto, low-glycemic, South Beach Diet friendly, dairy-free, and can easily be gluten-free.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• thick bone-in or boneless pork chops (1 inch thick)
• soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
• fresh lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• Dried Oregano (affiliate link) ( see notes)
• ground Chipotle chile pepper (affiliate link) (or use a dash of hot sauce)
• Onion Powder (affiliate link), or use 1-2 tsp. grated fresh onion
• Garlic Powder (affiliate link), or use 1-2 tsp. freshly minced garlic

Why is it a good idea to marinate pork chops?

I think using a marinade is a great way to keep the meat moist when you’re grilling pork chops, and these pork chops were juicy and delicious, definitely a tasty idea for a summer dinner!

What if you don’t have an outdoor grill?

Pork chops like this can easily be cooked on a stovetop grill pan (affiliate link) or a George Foreman Grill (affiilate link) with great results. And when you use one of those methods, you can make juicy pork chops any time of year; enjoy!

How to make the marinated pork chops:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. I don’t mind grilled pork chops with a little fat on the edges, but I trim thicker pieces of fat; take your choice on how much trimming you prefer.
2. Then mix together the soy sauce (gluten-free if needed), fresh lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, dried oregano, Chipotle Chile powder, onion powder, and garlic powder to make the flavorful marinade.
3. Put pork chops in a large Ziploc bag, pour marinade over, seal bag, and marinate in the fridge for 4-6 hours (or longer won’t hurt if you want to marinate all day while you’re at work.)
4. When it’s time to cook, spray the grill with non-stick spray or olive oil and then preheat the grill to medium-high heat while you drain the pork chops and let them come to room temperature. (George Foreman Grills or stovetop grill pans only need to be preheated for a few minutes.)
5. If you want criss-cross grill marks lay the pork chops at an angle across the grill grates.
6. When you can lift the edge of one pork chop and see good grill marks (about 3-4 minutes) rotate the pork chops so they’re going the opposite way and cook about 3-4 minutes more.
7. Check grill marks again and when you’re happy with them, turn pork chops over and cook about 3-5 minutes more on the second side, or until pork is cooked though.
8. Start checking after 3 minutes; I recommend using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to check that pork has reached the safe temperature of 145F/63C that’s recommended for grilled pork but if you don’t have a meat thermometer, pork should feel firm but not hard to the touch when it’s done.
9. Let pork chops rest for 3-5 minutes when you take them off the grill and then serve hot and enjoy!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Marinated Pork Chops would be delicious with something like Spicy Mexican Slaw, Grilled Eggplant with Feta and Herbs, Marinated Cauliflower Antipasto Salad, Grilled Mushrooms, or Cucumber Salad with Balsamic Dressing for a low-carb meal.

More Pork Chops on the Grill:

Greek Pork Chops ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

Grilled Pork Chops with Peach Salsa ~ Cookin’ Canuck

Grilled Ginger Soy Pork Chops ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled Vegetable Medley ~ A Family Feast

Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon, Garlic, and Sage ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

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Yield: 4 servings; recipe can easily be doubled

Marinated Pork Chops with Soy Sauce, Cumin, Lime, and Oregano

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes

Additional Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 28 minutes

These delicious Marinated Pork Chops with Soy Sauce, Cumin, Lime, and Oregano can marinate all day while you're at work!

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 4 thick bone-in or boneless pork chops (1 inch thick)

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce (see notes)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (see notes)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. ground cumin (or a little less if you're not a big cumin fan)
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano ( see notes)
• pinch of Chipotle chile powder (or use a dash of hot sauce)
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder (or use 1-2 tsp. grated fresh onion)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or use 1-2 tsp. freshly minced garlic)

Instructions

1. Trim visible fat from pork chops as much as desired. For thick boneless pork chops I would pound with meat mallet (affiliate link) (or anything heavy) until pork chops are about 3/4 inch thick. Bone-in pork chops won't need that.
2. Combine soy sauce (gluten-free if needed), fresh lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, dried oregano, Chipotle chile powder, onion powder, and garlic powder to make the marinade.
3. Put pork chops in a heavy Ziploc bag or plastic dish with a lid, then pour marinade over. Let pork chops marinate 4-6 hours in the refrigerator. (They can be marinated all day while you’re at work too.)
4. When you’re ready to cook, take pork chops out of the refrigerator, drain off the marinade, and let them come to room temperature while you preheat the grill.
5. For an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, spray grill grates with non-stick spray or olive oil; then preheat the grill to medium-high before you start to cook. (You can only hold your hand there for a few seconds at that heat.)
6. If you're using a stove-top grill pan (affiliate link) or a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link), heat just for a few minutes and then brush or spray with non-stick spray or olive oil.
7. To get criss-cross grill marks, lay the pork chops at an angle across the grill grates for 3-4 minutes, then lift up the edge to check the grill marks and rotate pork chops the opposite way and cook 3-4 minutes more.
8. When you have good criss-cross marks, turn pork chops over and cook about 3-5 minutes on the other side. Start to check pork after about 3 minutes, I highly recommend using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to check that pork has reached the safe temperature of 145F/63C that's recommended for grilled pork but if you don't have a meat thermometer, pork should feel firm but not hard to the touch when it's done.
9. Remember that the George Foreman grill cooks both sides at once, so grilling time is about half as long for that kind of grilling device. Grilled meats continue to cook for a few minutes when you take them off the grill, so don’t overcook.
10. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

I used Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) for this recipe; for Paleo use Coconut Aminos (affiliate link) instead of soy sauce. I used my fresh-frozen lime juice. I used Mexican Oregano (affiliate link) but if you don't have that regular dried oregano will be fine.

This recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 907mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 11g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grilled Pork Chops with Soy Sauce, Cumin, Lime, and Oregano are a perfect main dish for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, or any low-carb eating plan, including Keto. If you use Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce or sub Coconut Aminos for the soy sauce, this recipe can easily be gluten-free or Paleo.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Grilling Recipes for more interesting Grilling ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2008. The photos were updated in 2018 and the recipe was updated with more information in 2022.

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