Pineapple Pork Chops
These pineapple pork chops are marinated in a sweet pineapple juice mixture and pan seared to perfection to create a tender, juicy chop with a beautifully caramelized crust. Serve them topped with a fresh pineapple salsa and coconut rice for a satisfying summer meal that’s sure to brighten your week.
Why you’ll love these pineapple pork chops
- We love searing pork chops in a cast iron skillet, especially when they have been marinated. The sugars in the marinade caramelize with the heat of the skillet, creating the most satisfying texture that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The skillet helps the pork chops Don’t forget to let your chops rest before slicing to ensure the juiciest meat.
- You can serve these sweet and tangy chops with a variety of different sides such as roasted vegetables, a crispy green salad or like we did, creamy coconut rice.
- If you aren’t a fan of the fruity pineapple salsa, these pork chops are amazing and tender all on their own, but I urge you to give it a try. It’s a delicious balance between sweet and savory.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Pork chops – I like to get 1-inch thick boneless pork chops, but you can use the pineapple marinade for virtually an size or cut of pork.
- Pineapple juice – I use the canned kind. It’s easier and shelf stable, so we almost always have it on hand to make pineapple margaritas anyway.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will work for this recipe. Darker will give you a deeper molasses flavor.
- Soy sauce – I used reduced sodium soy sauce for this recipe, but if you don’t have that, you might want to adjust the amount of salt in your marinade.
- Pineapple salsa – We make this homemade pineapple salsa recipe all the time. If you prefer to use store bought or your own recipe, go right ahead.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make pineapple pork chops
Marinate. In a mixing bowl, combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Add the pork chops and allow them to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Longer is better for marinating, so do the best you can. I like to get mine soaking in the morning for dinner, or the night before if I know my morning will be busy.
Make the pineapple salsa. Chop the salsa ingredients and combine them in a mixing bowl. Season with salt & pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you need to, this can be done 1 day in advance.
Sear the chops. Heat a large cast iron skillet to medium-high. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels. Then, lightly season with salt and pepper.
Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan (or lightly coat the chops), and sear the pork chops for about 3 – 4 minutes per side. Cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145˚F.
Always use a meat thermometer to be sure you’ve reached a safe temperature. If the pork chops aren’t there after 8 minutes, reduce heat and allow the chops to continue cooking until they reach their safe temperature.
Serve with pineapple salsa. Remove the pork chops from the pan and allow them to rest for a few minutes before topping them with pineapple salsa. I like to serve mine with coconut rice and my favorite roasted brussels sprouts.
Everything you need to know about pineapple pork chops
Pineapple juices, like most citrus juices, are great to incorporate into marinades because their acidity helps tenderize meat.
Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of only 145˚F. Over cooking pork is the most common mistake made, and it results in a very dry pork chop. It’s okay if the pork is slightly pink, just slightly.
More pork chop recipes:
More pineapple recipes:
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 pork chops (1-inch thick*)
- 1 6- ounce can pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- Black pepper (to taste)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
- 1/4 cup red onion (diced)
- 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, salt and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Add pork chops and cover. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
- While pork chops marinate, prepare pineapple salsa. Combine salsa ingredients in a large mixing bowl and season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Remove pork chops from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high. Add olive and heat until shimmering.
- Sear pork chops for 3 -4 minutes per side. Cook until pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145˚F. To prevent burning, reduce heat to medium-low if additional cook time is needed.
- Remove pork chops from the skillet and allow them to rest for a few minutes before serving with pineapple salsa.
Video
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