Pineapple Pork Chops
Juicy boneless pork chops marinated in a sweet pineapple-soy glaze, then baked or grilled until tender with caramelized pineapple rings on top. A Hawaiian-inspired dinner that comes together in 30 minutes and tastes like it took all day.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops ¾ to 1 inch thick
- 1 can 20 oz sliced pineapple rings in juice — juice reserved
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh parsley or sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Drain the can of pineapple rings and reserve the juice. In a bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper until sugar dissolves.
- Pat pork chops dry. Add to a zip-lock bag or shallow dish. Pour two-thirds of the marinade over the pork. Reserve the remaining one-third separately for basting. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours, refrigerated.
- Remove pork from fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
- Oven method: Preheat oven to 400°F. Sear chops in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side. Spoon reserved marinade over chops, top each with a pineapple ring, and bake 12 to 15 minutes until internal temp reaches 145°F.
- Grill method: Preheat grill to medium-high (400°F). Grill chops 5 to 6 minutes per side, basting with reserved marinade. Grill pineapple rings alongside for 1 to 2 minutes per side until caramelized. Pull at 145°F internal temp.
- Rest 5 minutes. Top each chop with a pineapple ring and spoon pan glaze over the top. Garnish with parsley or green onions. Serve over white rice.
Notes
Always reserve a portion of the marinade before adding raw meat — never use marinade that touched raw pork for basting without cooking it first.
Don't marinate longer than 8 hours — the pineapple acid will over-tenderize the meat surface.
Cast iron skillet gives the best sear for the oven method.
Spoon all pan drippings over the rice when serving — the glaze is the best part.
Fresh pineapple can be used but limit marinating to 2 hours maximum due to stronger bromelain enzyme content.
Swap soy sauce for tamari to make this completely gluten-free.