Orange/Soy Marinated Pork Chops with Pineapple Mango Salsa
Between the previous pancetta and now the pork chops… I guess you could say I’m on a pig-kick, so I think I’m due for a break from the other white meat for awhile.
Billy mentioned pineapple salsa and it gave me the idea to make a pineapple mango salsa to pair with something a bit more bland. Since I was sick of cooking chicken breast I opted for pork chops (they were also on sale, win!)
They were out of this world!
No, but really… you’re oinkin’ for this recipe… so check it out after the jump…
Pineapple Mango Salsa
- 1 small pineapple
- 1 ripe mango
- 1 TBSP cilanto
- 1 small red onion
- 1 jalapeno
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
Chop the pineapple, mango, onion, jalapeno and cilantro and toss together. Squeeze the lime juice and zest over the top, mix and let sit. You don’t have to let yours sit, but knowing on Friday that I’d be preparing this meal on Sunday, I made the salsa Friday afternoon and let all the juices come together in the fridge over the weekend. It was delicious.
Orange/Soy Marinade
- Orange Juice
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- Minced or crushed cloves of garlic (1 big one or two small)
Mix together and place in your air-tight container or ziplock back. Be sure to have enough to completely cover your pork! I used about 3 cups of orange juice and 3 heaping tablespoons of soy sauce for mine.
Pork Chops
- 2-4, 1/2 to 1 inch thick pork chops, bone-in
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking spray
Rinse pork chops under cold water and place in your marinating container/baggie. Let sit in marinade for 2-3 hours. They’ll be cooking for about an hour so plan accordingly and be sure to heat the oven to 300 degrees about 20 minutes before they’re ready to go in. Lay out larger pieces of aluminum foil and spray lightly with the cooking spray. You’re going to be making little pouches/homes for them! Wrap them up and place in heated oven with a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any possible drippings. I cooked mine for 80 minutes but next time I’ll be cutting the cooking time down to 45, checking them and then letting sit in the hot oven for 15 more minutes. When they’ve finished cooking, unwrap them from the foil and let sit on a cutting board for about 5-10 minutes to rest.
I served all of this on a bed of brown rice with paprika and a little butter, lightly steamed green beans and an ear of corn since it’s in season. Overall an incredible delicious meal and it was my first time preparing pork chops! Not too shabby! I’m just glad they didn’t turn out like hockey pucks.
