Grilled Pork Chops with Soy Sauce, Cumin, Lime, and Oregano

Ingredients

• 4 thick bone-in or boneless pork chops
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• Pinch of Chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions

1. Cut away as much visible fat from the pork chops as you like. If you’re working with thick boneless chops, flatten them with a meat mallet or another heavy tool until they’re about 3/4 inch thick; bone-in chops can skip this treatment.
2. Whisk together the marinade ingredients: soy sauce, using gluten-free if you need it, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, oregano, Chipotle chile powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.
3. Place the pork chops in a sturdy Ziploc bag or a covered plastic container, and add the marinade. Refrigerate the chops in the marinade for 4-6 hours.
4. When it’s time to grill, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator, discard the marinade, and leave the meat out while the grill heats. If you’re cooking on an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, coat the grates with non-stick spray or olive oil, then bring the grill to medium-high heat before adding the pork.
5. For a stove-top grill pan or a George Foreman Grill, warm it for a few minutes, then coat the cooking surface with non-stick spray or olive oil.
6. For crosshatched grill marks, set the pork chops diagonally on the grill grates and cook for 3-4 minutes. Peek underneath to see how the marks look, then turn the chops the other direction and grill for another 3-4 minutes.
7. Once the first side has a nice criss-cross pattern, flip the chops and cook the second side for about 3-5 minutes. Begin checking the pork after about 3 minutes; an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer is the best way to make sure the pork reaches 145F/63C, the safe temperature for grilled pork. If you don’t have a thermometer, the chops should feel firm, not hard, when pressed. A George Foreman Grill heats both sides at the same time, so the cooking time will be roughly half as long with that appliance. Meat keeps cooking briefly after it comes off the heat, so take care not to overdo it.
8. Serve hot and enjoy.