One of my guilty pleasures is the Orange Chicken dish from Panda Express. So when I came across a recipe for Grilled Pork Chops with Orange Sauce, I just had to give it a shot.
I had some pineapple juice leftover from the Sweet & Sour Meatballs recipe that I recently made so I didn’t even need to make a run to the grocery store.
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I don’t eat pork chops very often these days. I’m not sure why, to be honest, growing up pork chops were common at the dinner table.
For the most part, it was always bone-in pork chops. You can also use pork top loin for this dish as I did. It comes from the same part of the animal just a different cut.
Pork Chop vs. Pork Loin
A Pork Chop can come from the shoulder, rib, loin or hip. The chop tends to be a bit tougher than pork loin and has a stronger flavor.
A Pork Loin is indeed a type of pork chop that comes from the hip near the back of the pig. It’s a very lean cut of meat with a milder flavor than a chop.
As with all recipes that require marinating meat, you will need to plan ahead if you intend to have this for dinner after work one night.
I recommend preparing the orange marinade the night before and letting the pork chops sit in the fridge overnight. They only need about 10 minutes to grill which is perfect on a weeknight.
Make sure you don’t use all of the orange-pineapple marinade to marinate the chops as you will need some to make a nice orange sauce.
If you think you might want more sauce to drizzle on your chops you will need to adjust the quantities accordingly.
Tips
- Just in case you don’t have much experience marinating meats, make sure you DO NOT re-use the marinade from the bag with the raw pork! Throw it out! That is why there will be a little sauce left over to use to make the sauce.
Internal Temperature
Our friends over at the USDA recommend you cook the pork loin to an internal temperature of 145°F. I always recommend you cook meat to temperature and not time.
The cook time listed on the recipe card below is meant as a point of reference. I recommend the use of a digital thermometer for checking the internal temperature of your protein.
I often get asked about the cool trays I use when grilling. They are from Cuisinart and come in a pack of two – one red and one black. The idea is to use the red one for the raw meat and the black one for when the meat is cooked. This prevents cross-contamination. Here’s a link to the Grill Trays I use.
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You will need the following ingredients to make this Grilled Pork Chops recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Orange Juice – fresh orange juice whenever possible
- Unsweetened Pineapple Juice – adds a sour note to the sauce
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce – I like Kikkoman brand (no affiliation)
- Honey – try to use the best brand you can
- Garlic Cloves – Use more to taste if desired
- Orange Zest – from one small orange
- Ground Black Pepper – Freshly Ground as much as possible
- Pork Chops – bone-in or boneless
- Cornstarch – helps brown the pork chops
How to Make Grilled Pork Chops with Orange Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Pour about a cup into a large resealable plastic bag. Add pork chops. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade for the sauce.
- Drain and discard the marinade. Using long-handled tongs, remove pork chops from the bag and grill the chops, covered, over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 145ºF.
- Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with the pork chops.
Grilled Pork Chops with Orange Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 Cup Orange Juice
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Pineapple Juice
- ¼ Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ½ Tsp Orange Zest
- ¼ Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 4 Pork Chops, bone-in
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Pour about a cup into a large resealable plastic bag. Add pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade for the sauce.
- Drain and discard marinade. Using long handled tongs, remove pork chops from the bag and grill the chops, covered, over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 145ºF.
- Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with the pork chops.
My husband and son loved these!
If i use blended fresh pineapple how long do I marinade?
I would still do overnight if you have the time.