Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple-Gochujang Glaze

Grilled Pork Chops Recipe with Pineapple-Gochujang Glaze

Fire up the grill, my friends, because today we're serving up some hugely flavorful pork chops. For this recipe, we're going to first brine the pork chops in a simple and slightly spicy marinade to guarantee they'll be juicy and tender. 

We'll toss them on the grill for a gorgeous sear, then finish them off with a sticky homemade glaze made from pineapple, spicy gochujang, honey and brown sugar.

These flavors are outstanding, and once you try these glazed pork chops, the recipe will surely find its way into your regular rotation.

Let's talk about how we make it, shall we? The recipe breaks down into 3 parts: The Marinade, The Glaze, and The Grilling.

About the Marinade

You want a good marinade when marinating pork chops. Marinating is a big flavor building component. It not only helps to add moisture to lean cuts of meat, but also tenderizes the meat. 

You’ll get the best flavor penetration if you marinade your pork chops for 24 hours. However, if you’re unable to find the time, you’ll still get flavorful results if you marinate for at least 1 hour. Even if you only have a single hour to marinate, it is worth doing it.

I like to start my marinade the day before, but sometimes will start it in the morning for grilling that evening.

This particular marinade is slightly spicy and HUGE on flavor.

Marinade Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 4-5 garlic cloves minced
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce - Use a good Louisiana style, like Crystal or Tabasco, or use your favorite
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Making the Marinade: Simply whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. 

When you're ready to marinate, set your pork chop into the bowl and cover them with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to grill. Or, you can set the chops into a resealable baggie, cover them in the marinade, then seal and refrigerate.

NOTE: This marinade is good for any cut of pork chop, whether boneless or bone-in, and any thickness. This recipe calls for 1-inch thick boneless chops, but you can easily use other cuts.

Check out my awesome Pork Chop Marinade Recipe post for a larger discussion along with notes and tips.

The Pineapple-Gochujang Glaze

My pineapple-gochujang glaze is sweet and sticky and just the right amount of spicy from the gochujang. Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chili paste made from chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder, barley malt powder, and salt. It is thick and pungent in flavor, adding a zingy depth to your dishes. 

If you don't have it your kitchen, you should run out and grab some. It's a must for any spicy food lover who enjoys great flavor.

The glaze is quick and easy to make.

How to Make the Glaze

Whisk together the following ingredients in a small bowl: 6 ounces pineapple juice, 4 tablespoons gochujang, 3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon chili flakes, ½ teaspoon salt.

Next, pour the mixture into a small pot and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the glaze thickens up.

Remove from heat and it will thicken even more as it cools.

Grilling Up the Pork Chops

When you're ready to cook up your chops, remove the pork chops and discard the marinade.

Heat your grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Add the pork chops to the grill and cover. Grill for 3-4 minutes.

Flip the pork chops and grill another 1-2 minutes. Get those nice grill marks!

Reduce the heat to medium-low (or, if using charcoal, move the chops to less direct heat) and mop a bit of the sweet-spicy glaze over the chops.

Continue to grill another few minutes, basting on more glaze, until the internal temperature of the pork chops are at least 145 degrees F for medium-rare and 160 degrees F for well done. It should be about 15 minutes total, but ideally go by temperature.

I like to use my ThermoPop meat thermometer from ThermoWorks (I'm an affiliate). Works great! Almost there!

Remove the chops and let them rest a few minutes before serving. Top with extra glaze and serve.

That's it, my friends. Without a doubt, these are some of the most juicy, tender, flavorful pork chops I have ever made. It is definitely one of my favorite pork chop recipes.

I hope you enjoy them. Please let me know how they turn out for you! Fire up those grills! So good.

Try Some of My Popular Pork Chop Recipes

• Grilled Pork Chops with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
• Smothered Pork Chops
• Baked Pork Chops with Papaya Salsa