Although pork chops are usually a nice and tender cut of meat, using a marinade makes them even better. It doesn’t matter which pork chop recipes you’d like to cook, all of them taste better if you marinate the chops for several hours before cooking them. You can use the marinade recipe we are going to present here, or you can make any variation you wish. However, before making your own pork chop marinade recipes, you’ll have to understand how marinades work. In order for the marinating process to occur, the meat has to come in contact with substances that dissolve connective tissues and hard worked muscles, thus tenderizing them. Such substances are acids and some enzymes that can be found in various plants. Your marinade recipe must contain one of these active substances, therefore you’ll have to use as main ingredient either lemon or vinegar, or papain (the active enzyme in papaya leaves). The other ingredients in the marinade help adding flavors to the meat, so here you can use whatever is most appealing to your taste.

Pork chop marinade ingredients:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation time: 10 minutes

The quantities are enough for marinating 4 pork chops

Preparation procedure:

Mix all ingredients together, then pour the marinade over the pork chops, or put everything in a zip lock plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours. The meat will be best if you can leave it in the marinade overnight and if you butterfly the chops so the flavors get deep inside them. Cook the pork chops they way you like: grill them, bake them, roast them, pan fry them, then serve them hot with a nice salad or with mashed potatoes.