Pineapple Teriyaki Pork Chops

Everyone loves a good deal. For me there is no better deal in the grocery store than the manager’s special bin in the meat section. Sure it may be one day from the sell-by date, but those cuts are far from going bad and freeze just as well as any other full priced cut. Without fail I take a look at what’s available every time I make a trip to the grocery store. The result? A freezer full of meat that never empties.

The steaks usually get eaten up fastest. Although with a Midwestern family it’s not surprising. On the other hand, what does seem to be the last to get eaten up are the pork chops. This however is not surprising. I find that if pork isn’t prepared and cooked properly they easily dry out; sometimes to the point where apple sauce can’t even compensate.

Yesterday while rummaging around in the freezer trying to decide what to make for our party of five to eat, I came across three separate Ziplocs with pork chops in them. Almost the perfect amount, a little more but leftovers are always welcomed.

Searching through the endless recipes on Pinterest I came upon a good looking recipe at Skinny Mom. Lucky for me I found it earlier in the day because it does require to be marinated for some time. I usually end up not making these kinds of recipes because I find them too late. After having marinated pork I don’t know that I will go back. They were the most tender and juicy chops I’ve had

The only slightly odd ingredient was the rice vinegar, but looking in the cupboard it appeared that I had bought it at some point in the past when I got my other cooking vinegars.

What You Need

• Can of pineapple rings (you will need the juice)
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

This recipe is for four 4-oz pork chops, since I had six I just doubled the recipe. This also made it easier to have all the pork completely covered in marinade.

How You Make It
1. In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar and ground ginger.

2. Place your pork chops in a 22 resealable bag and cover with marinade.

3. Place the marinating pork chops in fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight. If possible, move the chops in the bag every so often to more evenly marinade the chops.

4. Remove pork chops from bag. DO NOT DISCARD MARINADE.

5. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring marinade to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 15-17 minutes until sauce thickens, making sure to stir frequently.

7. After the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and place in a small dish. You will use it when you are grilling.

8. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

9. Place pork chops on grill. Brush them often with marinade sauce while cooking. Cook the pork chops on each side for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

10. Delicately place the pineapple on the grill and cook for 1-2 minutes.

I recommend serving with milder starch and vegetable sides. I chose pan cooked zucchinis with Herbs de Provence for our veggie side. I went with the quinoa for starch because there’s wasn’t much marinade to justify using white rice. Although if you make more marinade I suppose you could do that as well.

Formatted PDF of Recipe