Dijon Pork Chops

I usually season grilled pork chops with soy sauce and calamansi. For these Dijon Pork Chops, I use Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce instead. The combination gives the pork a sharper flavor than my inihaw na pork chop.

The pork chops at the supermarket surprised me during my first year in the US. They were cut much thicker than the ones I used to buy in the Philippines. I wanted to see what other marinades would work on them. Soy sauce and calamansi give me that balance of savory and sour. Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce do something similar, so I tried them together. It worked.

I brine the pork before adding the marinade. Pork chops can dry out quickly on the grill, and the brine helps keep them juicy. My grilled brined pork chops are about an inch thick, and I brine those for a full hour. For these 3/4-inch chops, I use a shorter 20-minute brine.

There is marinade left in the bag after the chops come out, and I use it for basting instead of pouring it down the drain. It has to be cooked first because raw pork sat in it. I boil the leftover marinade first, then brush it on halfway through grilling when the outside of the chops starts to brown.

What Are Dijon Pork Chops?

I mix the Dijon mustard directly into the marinade with Worcestershire sauce. The mustard browns on the outside as the chops cook.

This tastes different from my Filipino BBQ pork chop, which uses soy sauce, calamansi, banana ketchup, and brown sugar. This version is less sweet, and you taste more of the mustard and Worcestershire.

This is not a traditional Filipino pork chop recipe.

Choosing Your Dijon Mustard

I use Grey Poupon for this. Dijon is a smooth mustard with a sharper flavor than regular yellow mustard. The cheaper store brands I have tried are milder, and once the Worcestershire sauce goes in you stop noticing the mustard at all. Any standard Dijon works though, so buy what your store carries.

The sharpness matters here because there is already brown sugar in the brine and marinade. If you are shopping in the Philippines, look in the imported goods aisle if you do not see Dijon beside the local condiments.

Ingredients

• Pork chops – Bone-in and about 3/4 inch thick. If the packaged ones are thicker than that, ask the meat counter to run them through again. Chops cut with the fat and skin still on, the way they come in Philippine markets, are worth grabbing when you see them. The fat adds flavor and browns nicely on the grill.

For the brine:

• Coarse sea salt – This is what the brine amount is measured for. I would not swap in a finer salt without cutting the amount, since finer grains pack tighter into the same scoop.
• Brown sugar – Light or dark, whichever jar is open.
• Water
• Ice cubes – Have them ready in a second bowl before you start, because the hot brine gets poured straight over them.

Marinade:

• Dijon mustard – Buy the smooth kind rather than whole grain. Loose seeds sit on the surface and burn on the grate.
• Worcestershire sauce – Twice as much as the mustard, which thins the marinade enough to coat every chop in the bag.
• Brown sugar – A small amount here. It helps the outside brown without making the chops taste sweet.
• Salt – Go light, since the pork already came out of a brine.
• Ground black pepper – Fresh from a mill if you have one, otherwise the jar is fine.
• Canola oil – Optional. I stir a spoonful into the basting sauce so it brushes on more evenly.

Most of the time goes into brining and marinating. Start with the brine, and the pork will be ready for the grill in about two and a half hours.

1. Combine the water, brown sugar, and coarse sea salt in a bowl.
2. Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes.

1. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
2. Pour the hot brine into a second bowl holding the ice cubes, then stir until the brine cools down completely.

Let the brine cool completely before adding the pork. The ice is there to bring the temperature down fast so you are not waiting on it.

1. Add the pork chops to the cooled brine and let them soak for 20 minutes.
2. Take the chops out of the brine, pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels, and set them aside.

1. Combine the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, and ground black pepper in a bowl. Stir until everything is well blended.
2. Place the pork chops in a resealable freezer bag.

1. Pour in the marinade, seal the bag, and massage it gently so the pork chops get coated.
2. Marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Press the air out of the bag before you seal it. This keeps the marinade against the pork instead of letting it pool in one corner.

1. Heat the grill over medium-high heat.
2. Pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil if you want it, and bring it to a full boil before using it to baste the pork.

1. Grill the first side of the pork chops for 4 to 6 minutes, then turn them over and brush the cooked marinade on top.
2. Grill the second side until the thickest part reaches 145°F, then transfer the pork chops to a serving plate and let them rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Share and enjoy!

Grilling time depends on the thickness of the chops and how hot the grill is. My guide on how to grill pork chops goes through timing and doneness if you want the longer version.

What to Serve with Dijon Pork Chops

• Steamed rice – Plain rice is what I put out most often with these. It picks up whatever basting sauce runs off the chop.
• Sinangag – I like these at lunch with garlic fried rice, especially when I have leftover rice from the night before. Sometimes I add a fried egg to make it a silog meal.
• Garlic mashed potato – I sometimes serve these with garlic mashed potatoes instead of rice.
• Papaya atchara – Sweet and sour pickled papaya. A jar keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, so there is usually some on hand.
• Grilled vegetables – The grill is already hot. Asparagus and bell peppers take about as long as the chops do.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Grilled chops last 3 days in a covered container. I warm them in a skillet over medium low heat with a spoonful of water and the lid on, which brings them back without hardening the edges.
• Freezer: Freeze the raw marinated pork rather than the cooked chops. Lay the sealed bag flat so it stacks, and use it within 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then grill it the same way.
• Reheating: The microwave is fine when you are in a hurry. Give it 30 seconds at a time and check, because these chops overheat quickly and turn tough on you.

More Pork Chop Recipes

I keep the rest of my pork chop recipes in one place, grouped by cooking method.

• Marinated Grilled Pork Chop – Knorr liquid seasoning does most of the work in the marinade, and the chops only need about four hours in it.
• Pork Steak – Chops braised in soy sauce and calamansi with a pile of onion rings on top, the pork version of bistek.
• Teriyaki Pork Chop – Soy sauce, mirin, and sugar reduce down into a glossy glaze around the meat.
• Honey Garlic Pork Chops – Fried to golden, then tossed in butter, garlic, honey, and a splash of apple cider vinegar.
• Sizzling Pork Chop – Pan fried and served on a hot plate with gravy, mixed vegetables, and yellow rice.

• Dijon mustard – Spicy brown mustard is the closest match at the same amount. Yellow mustard works but gives you a milder flavor. Honey mustard can also work, but cut back on the brown sugar because it is already sweet.
• Worcestershire sauce – Soy sauce, vinegar, and a little brown sugar can work in a pinch, but do not replace the Worcestershire with the same amount of soy sauce because the pork is already brined.
• Bone-in pork chops – Boneless works too. Start checking them a little earlier and cook until the thickest part reaches 145°F.
• Brown sugar – White sugar in both the brine and the marinade. The chops brown a little less.

I usually make these on weekends and start the brine a few hours before grilling. I eat mine with rice and a spoonful of atchara because the sour pickle is what balances all that mustard.