Mesquite Marinated Pork Chops

If you like to cook, you’ve probably heard of mesquite. It’s a small, tough tree native to central America that has a strong, woody flavor that can be used in a variety of different ways. Many restaurants use mesquite wood to season meats, but you can also use mesquite flavored smoke to flavor your favorite foods. If you are looking for the perfect cooking method that yields delicious results with minimal effort, marinate your food with mesquite.

Try out the recipe from Michael W. Twitty’s book “Real Barbecue” by following these simple steps: Marinate the chops in a mixture of 1/8 cup of oil, 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup of a molasses-like sauce, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, and 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper for 30 minutes. Place the chops in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cover the meat with 1/2 cup of water.

When I first started writing about food and recipes for the Everyvoice Center, I never imagined the response I would receive from readers. I grew up in the Midwest and am a big fan of barbecue. For this recipe I marinate the pork chops in a mixture of mesquite and honey, which makes the meat very tender and juicy. Mesquite is a sweet and smoky flavor that works especially well with pork.

 

Smoky, flavorful, juicy, and tender Mesquite Marinated Chops de porc.

Grilled Pork Chops on a white plate.

Pork Chops Marinated in Mesquite

Being from the South, my hubby loves all things pig, from bacon to chops.

And this recipe for Pork Chops Marinated in Mesquite has really won him over.

They’re fantastic, I agree.

Pork chops have never been a favorite of mine in the past since they were either overly dry or, even worse, excessively chewy.

It’s possibly because, years ago, people were brainwashed into believing that in order to consume pig safely, you had to cook it far beyond its “done” condition.

I blame the US Department of Agriculture, which said that pig must be cooked until it reaches 160 degrees in order to be safe.

As a consequence, the pork became chewy, leathery, and dried up.

The USDA didn’t ultimately say that pork loin or chops cooked to 145 degrees were completely safe to consume until 2011.

And, by golly, a little pink was OK as well.

And that made a huge impact. Pork that had been chewy and dried out had become soft and juicy.

  • Grilled pork chops on a white plate

Mesquite Marinated Pork Chops Ingredients

  • Oil from Vegetables
  • Soy sauce is a sauce made from soybeans. 
  • Powdered Mesquite
  • Powdered garlic
  • Pork Chops 

Pork Chops with Mesquite Marination

Cooking them would be difficult in order to prevent the dried-out pork chops I recalled.

So I reasoned that in order for them to be juicy, they required a marinating head start.

Maybe soy, oil, and mesquite smoke powder for a big taste increase.

I combined everything and soaked the thin tiny chops for approximately an hour.

To prepare, I considered pan frying, but the Mesquite Marinade said that they should be grilled.

So I got my Griddler out, put the chops inside, and closed the lid for 2 minutes. Only 2 minutes! and they were executed flawlessly.

Marked on the grill and juicy.

My new go-to dish is Mesquite Marinated Pork Chops.

Notes:

You may also pan fried them if you don’t have a Griddler.

Simply heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat for thin chops like these.

The pork chops should then be cooked for 2-3 minutes on each side.

 

Restaurant Pork Chops is another option.

Grilled pork chops on a white plate

Recipes to Print

Mesquite Marinated Pork Chops

Smoky, flavorful, juicy, and tender Mesquite Marinated Pork Chops These tiny pork chops are nicely grilled in 2 minutes using a Cuisine Griddler.

Time to Prepare: 5 minutes

3 minutes to cook

Time allotted 8 minutes

Course Description: Main Course

American cuisine

Mesquite Pork Chops are a popular choice.

2 people servings

Calories: 127 kilocalories

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp oil (vegetable)
  • 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered mesquite
  • a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 2 bone-in pork chops, 1/4”-1/2” thick

Instructions

  • Griddler should be preheated and set to the Grill setting.

  • In a small bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, Mesquite Powder, and garlic powder.  

  • Pork chops should be placed in a gallon zip lock bag. Toss the pork chops in the marinade and seal the bag. Allow for a minimum of 1 hour of marinating time in the refrigerator.

  • Close the cover on the Griddler and add the pork chops. Depending on the thickness of your pork chops, grill for 2-3 minutes or until firm to the touch.

Nutrition

1 pork chop | 127 calories | 1 gram carbohydrate | 1 gram protein | 13 gram fat | 11 gram saturated fat | Sodium: 533 mg | Potassium: 28 mg | Iron: 0.3 mg

Mesquite Marinated Pork Chops

Pork chops are one of those foods that are a classic go-to food. They’re very versatile, you can pair them with just about anything you can think of.. Read more about af pork chops and let us know what you think.

Related Tags

This article broadly covered the following related topics:

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  • pork chop marinade
  • best way to marinate pork chops
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