Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops
When I organized catered houseboat trips, a Lake Powell guest called these Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops “The World’s Best Pork Chops!” I’ve been calling them that ever since, and if you like grilled pork chops you have to try this pork chop marinade!
PIN the grilled Pork Chops to try them later!
This week my long-time friend Marlys is visiting Utah, so there’s not much cooking going on at my house while we’re sampling some of my favorite Salt Lake City restaurants. So that means there’s no new recipe today; instead I’m reminding you to make these favorite Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops.
These pork chops are something I’ve been making for more than 20 years, and when I used to cater houseboat trips at Lake Powell, everyone loved this recipe and one client called them “The World’s Best Pork Chops.” Since then I’ve made them over and over for guests, and they’ve always been a hit.
And it’s the pork chop marinade recipe I use here that makes these grilled pork chops so amazing! In the Lake Powell days I used to make the pork chops with vermouth as the tenderizing ingredient in the marinade, but every time I gave someone the recipe they didn’t have vermouth, so I’ve been using rice vinegar in this recipe for the last few years. And that was a perfect substitute and worked beautifully!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- bone-in pork chops
- Peanut Oil (affiliate link) (or other high-heat oil)
- soy sauce, Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link), or coconut aminos
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
- dried Aleppo Pepper (affiliate link) flakes, or other red pepper
- ginger puree (from a jar), or use Minced Ginger (affiliate link
- garlic puree (from a jar) or use Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- dried mustard
What if you don’t have an outdoor grill?
These pork chops are so good I’d cook them all winter long on a stove-top grill pan with ridges (affiliate link) or on a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link) if it wasn’t grilling season, so try that if you don’t have an outdoor grill.
Want more ideas for pork cooked on the grill?
Who doesn’t like perfectly grilled pork chops for a summer dinner? If you’re a fan of pork cooked on the grill, you might also like Chile-Mustard Pork Kabobs, Greek Pork Chops, or Kalyn’s Souvlaki.
How to Make Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops:
(Scroll down for complete recipe including nutritional information.)
- I used to make this recipe with boneless pork chops, but now I prefer bone-in pork chops that have a little bit of marbling.
- Trimming is optional, but I like to trim some of the fat and the top two photos show how my pork chops looked before and after I trimmed them.
- Whisk together the oil, soy sauce, Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link), dried chile flakes, ginger puree, garlic puree, and dried mustard to make the pork chop marinade.
- Put the chops into a heavy Ziploc bag or a flat plastic container with a tight lid. Pour the marinade over the pork chops and let them marinate in the fridge for 6-8 hours (or a little longer won’t hurt.)
- Spray grill with non-stick spray and preheat the grill to medium-high while you drain pork chops and let them come to room temperature.
- When the grill is hot, lay pork chops at an angle across the grill grates. Cook 4-5 minutes (or until you see the grill marks when you lift up the edge.)
- Then rotate the pork chops so they’re at the opposite angle on the grill grates. Cook 4-5 minutes more on the first side (or until you see nice criss-cross marks when you lift up the edge.)
- Then turn the pork chops over and cook 4-5 minutes more on the second side.
- Actual cooking time will depend on how thick your pork chops are; pork chops should feel firm but not hard to the touch when they’re done.
- For best results, use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) and cook pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F.
- Serve Grilled Ginger Soy Pork Chops hot and enjoy!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
The pork chop in the photo is just served with a simple salad of lettuce and olives with purchased low-carb vinaigrette, but this would be great served with Asparagus and Radish salad with Feta, Spicy Mexican Slaw, Asian Chopped Salad, or Broccoli Salad with Feta and Almonds for a low-carb meal.
More Low-Carb Meat on the Grill:
This recipe was featured in my collection of Low-Carb and Keto Beef, Pork, and Lamb on the Grill; enjoy!
Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops
This recipe for Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops was declared “The World’s Best Pork Chops” when I made them for clients at Lake Powell.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in pork chops
Marinade Ingredients
- 1/4 cup peanut oil (or other high-heat oil)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar (see notes)
- 1 tsp. dried chili pepper flakes (see notes)
- 2 tsp. ginger puree (sometimes called ground ginger in Asian markets)
- 2 tsp. garlic puree (sometimes called ground garlic in Asian markets)
- 1 tsp. dried mustard
Instructions
- Trim some fat from pork chops as desired and place them in a Ziploc bag or flat plastic container with a tight fitting lid.
- Mix together the oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, dried chile flakes, ginger puree, garlic puree, and dried mustard to make the marinade.
- Pour marinade over the pork chops and marinate 6-8 hours or longer.
- When you’re ready to cook, take the pork chops out of the fridge, drain in a colander placed in the sink, and let them come to room temperature.
- Spray grill with non-stick grilling spray and preheat grill to medium hot.
- Lay pork chops at an angle to the grill grates and cook 4-5 minutes (or until you see nice grill marks when you lift up the edge.)
- Rotate the pork chops so they’re going at the opposite angle on the grill grates and cook 4-5 minutes more (or until you see nice criss-cross marks when you lift up the edge.)
- Turn pork chops over and cook 4-5 minutes more on the second side, or until the pork chops feel firm, but not hard to the touch. (Actual cooking time will depend on the thickness of the pork chops.
- Use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) and cook to a temperature of 145F for best results.
Notes
If you can't find the pureed garlic and pureed ginger in a jar like I used, you can use minced garlic and minced ginger.
I used Aleppo Pepper for this recipe. You could use cayenne pepper, but reduce the amount by quite a bit. Don't use seasoned rice vinegar which contains sugar.
Recipe created by Kalyn and cooked many times at Lake Powell for houseboat clients.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 420Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 685mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 41g
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.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops are a great main dish for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, and for low-carb eating plans, including Paleo or Whole 30 if you use coconut aminos and an approved oil. South Beach recommends meat with less than 10% fat, so you’ll need to trim the fat if you’re following that plan.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to find more recipes 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 2007, and I had been making it for years and years by then! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2022.
28 Comments on “Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops”
Kalyn, I’m a bit confused by your terminology of the ginger puree and garlic puree…you say it’s also known as ground ginger and ground garlic. Those latter two are powders, and that wouldn’t be the same as a puree. Can you clarify? Thanks so much!
Sorry for the confusion. This is NOT a powder. In Asian markets they are sometimes labeled ground ginger and ground garlic, but it’s a pureed product. You could also use minced ginger and minced garlic in a jar (of freshly minced) but I prefer the puree if you can find it.
A perfect summer recipe! Thank you.