These sweet and tangy tender Grilled Apple Cider Pork Chops are the perfect way to welcome Fall! This easy grilled pork chop recipe starts with a simple marinade of fresh apple cider, whole grain mustard, maple syrup, and a few other wholesome ingredients to give you one fantastic dinner recipe! I love to serve it with some grilled apples on the side. It’s a quick and easy dinner any night of the week, but will impress company too.
Do you feel like you eat a lot of chicken? Pork is a great alternative for sticking with a healthy white meat. Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry Salsa is lovely during cherry season, and Maple Mustard Pork hits the spot anytime of the year.
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Ingredients for Apple Cider Marinade
There is nothing like local produce! I love Michigan apples and of course the cider that comes from them. Fresh apple cider is one of the things that make these grilled pork chops so delicious. The key to a good marinade is having a balance of acidity, oil and seasonings. The acidity helps to tenderize the meat. Often people shy away from pork because they have trouble keeping it juicy and it turns out dry. But with this pork chop marinade, your pork will be tender, juicy, and flavorful.
You’ll need:
- Fresh Apple Cider
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- whole grain mustard
- olive oil
- maple syrup
- minced or pressed garlic cloves
- soy sauce (I like low sodium)
Combine all these together and the marinade is ready. Reserve 1/2 cup for basting (optional). Pour the remaining mixture over the meat. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Make sure you keep it refrigerated while it’s marinating.
How to Grill Pork Chops
- Heat the grill. You want it screaming hot, 400-500 degrees. This will give your meat nice grill marks, but more importantly it won’t stick when you go to turn them.
- Let the excess marinade drip off and carefully place the chops on the grill
- Close the lid and set your timer for 5-10 minutes. The time will depend on the thickness of your pork chops, more on that below.
- Flip the pork chops over, close the lid again, and set your timer for another 5-10 minutes.
- If you reserved some of the marinade, you can baste the meat before and after flipping it.
What kind of pork chops are best for grilling?
Technically, center cut, bone in rib chops that are at least an inch thick are best for grilling. They are very tender with a large bone running through it. However, that being said, I still often use a boneless pork chop for a few reasons:
- With a marinade that has enough acid, they will still be very tender.
- With proper cooking time, you won’t dry them out.
- They’re a little easier for my kids to work with because they’re not trying to cut around the bone.
You can use this recipe with either a bone in or boneless pork chop. Make sure you get a rib-chop, that will be your best bet. As far as thickness, it will cook quicker if it’s thinner, so keep an eye on your timer and cook accordingly. When you’re in a rush, use a thinner cut and dinner is cooked in 10 minutes.
How long do you cook pork chops on the grill?
If you have a cut that’s an inch or more, start at 10 minutes per side. If they are thinner, start at 5 minutes per side. The temperature should be very hot at first, around 400 degrees, after you put the meat on the grill, you can turn it down to a medium heat, around 350 or so.
If it’s not great grilling weather, you can use a grill pan indoors. Or, you can bake these in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
Suggested Sides For Apple Cider Pork Chops
The meat has such great flavor that you don’t want to go too crazy on the sides. So, keeping it simple is an excellent idea.
- Grilled apple slices – I used sliced Gala Apples and basted with the reserved marinade.
- Rice Pilaf
- Quinoa
- Garlic Roasted Green Beans
- Cauliflower or Broccoli
- Sweet Potatoes
- Any type of squash pairs well
- Mixed green salad with pears, nuts, and cheese
Notes on Grilled Apple Cider Pork Chops
- The meat will need to marinate so allow yourself some time for that.
- Bone-in pork chops work just as well as boneless. You may need to increase cooking time.
- Thin cut chops cook nice and quick if your’e in a hurry.
- These freeze well too, place the pork in the marinade and freeze flat in a zip lock bag.
If you love grilled pork chops, check out these Balsamic Pork Chops too!
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Apple Cider Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 boneless pork chops
Instructions
- Whisk together apple cider, vinegar, mustard, oil, maple syrup, garlic, and soy sauce. Reserve 1/2 cup and set aside.
- Generously season pork chops with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow pan or zip lock bag.
- Pour marinade over top, toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
- Preheat grill to 400-500 degrees. Place chops on grill, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn chops over and cook 5 minutes more or until cooked through.
- Serve immediately with reserved marinade drizzled over top.
I strongly believe in marinading pork because it is so easy to overcook it and the marinade helps to keep the chops juicy. Your marinade is a wonderful blend of flavors and I made it exactly as suggested. I grilled two chops for my husband and I and I froze two others in the marinade for another meal. I made an apple chutney and mashed sweet potatoes to go with it. A definite keeper! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Your apple chutney and mashed sweet potatoes sounds like the perfect pairings, YUM!
What would be the cooking instructions if not cooking them on the grill?
Nancy, you could bake them, covered at about 350. I’d check them after 20 minutes if you’re using the thin cut. You could also put them in the Crock pot. I would try cooking on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours. Again, thickness of the chops will affect cooking time.
Are you using sweet cider or the alcoholic type of apple cider?
Hi Olaf, great question. I’m using 100% Apple Cider (no added sugar, but yes, the kind from just apples). If you try hard cider, let me know how it goes. I bet that would taste great!
ooooh I love this flavor combination! Looks delicious!