Marinate your pork chops in this savory, sweet, and completely delicious marinade before throwing your chops on the grill – you’ll be glad you did! Pair one of these babies with a green salad or grilled veggies for a meal that will leave you feeling good, satisfied, and full of well-rounded nutrition.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops (about 2 lbs) (may substitute boneless pork chops)
For the Marinade:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup coconut aminos*
- 3 tablespoons honey or 5-6 soaked deglet dates (see tip below for soaking)**
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of fine salt
Instructions
- If using honey: Mincely chop or press the garlic and combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to combine well. Move on to Step 2.
If using soaked dates*: Roughly chop the garlic and combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small food processor or small blender. Blend until smooth. Some small pieces of dates may be present and that’s okay. Tip: If using a food processor, cover the processor with a towel when blending to avoid marinade from splattering. - Place the pork chops in a large container or zip-top bag. Set aside about 3-4 tablespoons of the marinade (to save for brushing the chops while on the grill) and pour the rest over the chops, flipping the chops to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4-12 hours.
- When ready to grill, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or while the grill is preheating. Preheat the grill to 425-450°F. Remove the chops from the marinade letting excess marinade drip off. Discard the marinade. Place chops on the grill and grill for 8-10 minutes. Brush with the reserved marinade, then flip chops and brush the other side. Grill for another 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Time on the grill will depend on the thickness of the chops and whether or not you’re using bone-in chops or boneless chops (bone-in chops will take a few minutes longer to grill).
- Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
*In place of the coconut aminos you can use ¼ cup of low-sodium soy sauce, shoyu, or tamari (gluten-free) mixed with ¼ cup of water; for gluten-free, sodium sensitivity, or Whole30, we do recommend using coconut aminos, however, since it is lower in sodium and made from just two ingredients
**You can use either honey or fresh dates as the ingredient that gives this marinade just the right amount of sweetness. We found that the dates made for nicer grill marks and a little desirable char on the pork chops, and they also make this marinade recipe Whole30-friendly. If using dates, we suggest Deglet dates instead of Medjool dates, since Deglet dates are a little less sweet, but either will work. You will need to soak the dates first.
To soak the dates: Place the dates in a small bowl of very hot water and soak until soft, about 15 minutes.
Made in partnership with The Real Food RDs.
