Giggle Pig Pork Chops Marinade with Soy Sauce
Firing up the grill is always an occasion at our house, which means we have some fun with grilling recipes! This easy pork chop marinade with soy sauce is always a popular choice because of its fun name. After prepping your marinade and adding the chops, store your BBQ meat in the freezer until you’re ready to make your own Giggle Pig Pork Chops.
Despite their silly name, these Giggle Pig Pork Chops have seriously good taste!
Pork Chop Marinade Recipe with Soy Sauce
Ingredients:
- 6 bone-in pork chops
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey, melted
Assembly Instructions:
- Combine the pork shops with the soy sauce, oil, minced onion, garlic, lemon juice, and honey in a large, resealable freezer bag.
- Squeeze the bag to mix all the ingredients together.
- Remove excess air from the bag, seal it, and place the marinated pork chops in the freezer until ready to start cooking.
Important note: Sometimes it’s best to double bag pork chops or use reusable silicone freezer bags because the bones can sometimes be sharp and cause a hole in your bag. If that happens the marinade will leak as it thaws and you’ll end up with a big old mess!
Cooking instructions:
- Transfer the pork chops to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pork shops in a baking dish and cook uncovered for 45 minutes, until the center of the meat is white.
- Cook the pork chops on the grill until the center of the meat is white.
Why is this Recipe Called Giggle Pig Pork Chops?
After sharing this BBQ recipe with my YouTube followers, we decided to have a naming contest to give the viewers a chance to get in on the fun!
This recipe was named by named by Ana. She says “Giggle-pig porkchops in honour of your fun loving kitchen sounds about right to me. And the thought of families reminiscing many years from now about ‘gramma’s giggle pig recipe’ makes me laugh even more. I just love funny recipe names. My husband’s family has a cake recipe called “the wrong one” cause they got it very wrong once and they loved it better that way.”
Can You Marinate Pork Chops and Then Freeze Them?
Marinating pork chops is one of the best ways to ensure they stay tender and juicy as they cook on the grill. But leaving the meat in an acidic marinade made with soy sauce and lemon juice for too long can often cause the pork to break down.
That may make you wonder whether it’s a good idea to store your pork chops in the freezer in the marinade for an extended period of time. Luckily, freezing stops the marinating process, which means your pork is perfectly safe sitting in the marinade while it’s frozen.
And when you transfer the pork chops to the refrigerator to thaw before cooking, they’ll have just enough time to soak in all the flavors of the sauce before you place them on the grill.
How Long Does It Take to Marinate Pork Chops?
While this simple marinade recipe is perfect for freezer cooking, it an also be used to prep your pork chops for dinner tonight. If you don’t plan on freezing the pork chops before you cook them, make sure to allow at least 2 hours for the meat to marinate.
After combining all the ingredients in the freezer bag, place the bag in the refrigerator while the meat soaks. You can keep the pork chops in the soy sauce marinade for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to start cooking, remove the pork from the sauce and discard the extra marinade in the bag. It shouldn’t be used for cooking because it could contain harmful bacteria.
Should You Poke Holes in Pork Chops Before Marinating?
Although it may seem like a good idea to add a few holes to your chops before placing them in the marinade, poking holes in pork chops is not recommended. Adding holes to the meat will cause beneficial juices to drip out as the pork cooks, which will result in dry pork chops.
Pork Chop Marinade Recipe Tips
Marinating your pork chops before grilling or baking them is a simple way to add flavor to your meat. But just because the process is super easy doesn’t mean you can’t use a little help along the way! Use these tips and tricks for getting the best flavor in your Giggle Pig Pork Chops.
- Flip the bag as the pork chops thaw. While storing your pork chops in the fridge, try flipping the bag over halfway through the thawing time. This will allow the marinade to evenly distribute across the pork chops as they sit in the sauce.
- Reserve some sauce for cooking. Since it’s not a good idea to use the marinade that the pork chops have been sitting in for cooking, try setting aside a small amount of the marinade for use while cooking. You can brush the reserved sauce over the top of the pork chops while they cook in the oven or on the grill.
- Use a meat thermometer. Pork chops are easy to overcook, so having a meat thermometer on hand is always a good idea. Pork is safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches at least 145 degrees. Once the pork is cooked through, allow it to rest for three to five minutes before cutting for best results.
- 6 bone-in pork chops
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning
- 2 Tbsp. Montreal steak spice
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Combine the pork chops with garlic, soy sauce, vegetable oil, lemon pepper, and Montreal steak spice in a large resealable freezer bag.
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Squish the bag to mix all the ingredients together.
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Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
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Thaw.
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the pork shops in a baking dish and cook uncovered for 45 minutes, until the center of the meat is white.
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Thaw.
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Cook the pork chops on the grill until the center of the meat is white.
Sometimes it's best to double bag pork chops or use reusable silicone freezer bags because the bones can sometimes cause a hole in your bag.
