This post is also available in: Español
Delicious Grilled Adobo Pork Chops is what’s for dinner in the weekly menu!
The Grilled Adobo Pork Chops recipe is a sponsored collaboration with the National Pork Board’s @PorkEsSabor with whom I teamed up with to create delicious and nutritional pork recipes all summer long going through Hispanic Heritage Month.
What is adobo sauce?
Adobo is a rustic style sauce made with dried guajillo and ancho peppers commonly used when cooking Mexican pork dishes such as stews and oven roasted options. Many confuse adobo with mole but the difference between both is that the adobo requires fewer ingredients and the sauce is not sweet.
For the adobo sauce, I am using New Mexico dried peppers instead of guajillo and ancho peppers since those can be challenging to find in my local market. New Mexico peppers are a good substitute due to the mild flavor and smokiness. This is an important characteristic to be able to replicate the authentic Mexican flavors of a true adobo hot sauce.
Since the dried peppers are mild and my family prefers spicy food I am including a full tablespoon of salsa macha to the New Mexico pepper adobo sauce. Salsa macha is made with dried chile de arbol pepper flakes, granulated dried garlic, onion spice and cooking oil. But this salsa macha also has toasted sesame seeds, which add a very yummy toasty flavor that goes very nicely with the pork chops.
Learn about the National Pork Board’s “Pork Es Sabor”
The National Pork Board kicked off this grilling season with “Pork Es Sabor“ initiative with the objective to generate awareness about the key health and flavor benefits of pork. A new National Pork Board study revealed that sales and consumption of pork will continue to increase. It also indicated that pork chops are one of the preferred pork cuts in Hispanic and African American households. For today’s recipe, I chose boneless pork chops because they are full of flavor and so easy to cook. They are the perfect option for the weekly menu, which is why I always include them in the shopping list.
Make the Grilled Adobo Pork Chops tonight!
Start by making the New Mexico dried pepper adobo sauce. Season the pork chops with it and let it marinade in a vacuum sealed bag inside the refrigerator for two hours. For grilling, I am using a stovetop grilling skillet and adding more adobo sauce to each pork chop to achieve a BBQ style finish. Watch the video to get all the details.
The Grilled Adobo Pork Chops are served over a bed of cooked butternut spirals lightly seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, a side of watercress and a lime. In Mexican cuisine adding freshly squeezed lime juice as a final touch to the meals is a must. The lime juice brightens the flavors and complements well with all the elements on the dish.
There are many ways you can enjoy pork’s delicious flavor and its nutritional benefits. Pork is easy to prepare, convenient to cook and you can grill it without adding extra calories. For recipe ideas and more information, please visit PorkEsSabor.com and follow along on social media at @PorkEsSabor on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Join the conversation using #PorkEsSabor.
The Grilled Adobo Pork Chops are the perfect dish to celebrate the fall and Mexican culture.
Pork is a high-quality protein and so delicious, include these incredibly delicious pork chops in your weekly menu!
Grilled Adobo Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 8 New Mexico dried peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon salsa macha
- 5 boneless pork chops
- 4 cups of cooked butternut spirals
- 2 cups of fresh watercress
- 2 limes cut in halves
Instructions
- Cook the New Mexico dried peppers with the garlic cloves and two cups of water. When peppers are soft it means they are ready for blending. Blend and season with chicken bouillon and cumin.
- Combine the New Mexico pepper sauce with a tablespoon of salsa macha to make it a spicier option. If you prefer a milder taste avoid adding the salsa macha.
- Brush the boneless pork chops with the adobo sauce. Let it marinade in a vacuum sealed bag inside the refrigerator for two hours.
- Grill stove top on a skillet on both sides. Brush with more adobo sauce for more flavor. The pork chops will be ready when reaching an internal temperature of 145°F or 65°C.
- Serve the Grilled Adobo Pork Chops over a bed of cooked butternut spirals lightly seasoned with olive oil and spices, watercress and lime.
Video
Notes
- The butternut spirals used on this recipe are a frozen option for a quick easy dinner.
- The dish can be paired with sweet potato or golden potato mash if desired.
- The salsa macha is an optional ingredient.
- Use additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.
These look incredible! Can’t wait to make them!
Thanks for considering making this recipe it is simple and ready in a few minutes.
I love adobo! It’s my country’s “national dish”. Although looking at your recipe, the preparation is different but I bet it also tastes good. I’ll try this recipe soon to compare with our local recipe. Thanks for sharing this yummy treat!
Hi, Nessy, this is Mexican adobo, not Philippines adobo which is different, I hope you try the Mexican version soon.
Oh yum, I would so make these for dinner. We just love pork chops here! These look incredible.
This sounds delicious! It makes me wish I wasn’t allergic to pork! My coworker makes chicken adobo all the time for me and I love it!
Pork adobo is way better than chicken adobo but we understand thanks for your comment.
This can be a great recipe for bbqs. I live in Spain and here there is a lot of quality pork in the supermarkets. I might try this marinade next time I fire up the bbq.
That sounds awesome thanks for considering trying my recipe =)
This is such a great recipe to try. Thanks for sharing this yummy treat!
This is my kind of pork chop! I just love Mexican flavors. I can’t find New Mexico peppers in stores here, nor ancho peppers, but I can find guajilo. This is too bad, I might need to start import myself haha. This just looks so delicious! I thought adobo was Philipino, is it from there or maybe it’s two different things? Anyway, this looks delish and I am trying to find the ingredients so I can make it myself!
Hi Stine, adobo, in this case, is Mexican style. The Filipino cuisine has their own version which is different from this one I am presenting today. Thanks for stopping by.
Oh my! This looks so juicy! Pork? Grilled? Just perfect! And the lemon taste while eating even makes it better. Would be perfect for an outdoor barbecue.
I’d love to try this since my husband loved pork chops. Instead of just frying it simply with salt and pepper this would a nice recipe to try out!
I love adobo seasoning and I can only imagine how delicious this taste on those pork chops! I will definitely be trying out this recipe!
yum! these look amazing, I definitely need to try… I love your food presentation it really draws you in to find out how I can make a great dish!
We think presentation is very important so thanks for noticing.
Ooh this looks so good! My boyfriend would adore this meat! I ‘ll show him the recipe so that he can do it!
What a great way to cook pork. The smoky flavors from the peppers make this dish exciting.
We’ve must had adobo yesterday. Ours though had sauce on it. But your grilled style is something I would want to try for my boys.
Thanks for stopping by this adobo is Mexican style so is different from the adobo you prepare. If your kids like spicy foods would be appropriate for them to try it.
It really does look amazing. My mouth is honestly watering at the prospect. I have tasted the adobo sauce and it’s amazing. Never had it done on pork though. Yummy!
I know that it must taste really good as a barbecue dish. I never tried pork that way before. Sounds so good.
Shockingly I have never made adobo, and now you just gave me an easy recipe to try, it’s on the list!
I absolutely love porkchops and am always looking for a new way to prepare them. This looks like it would be so good.
Do you this marinade will work with chicken? Sounds delicious!!
Adobo can be used for any meat it is preferred with pork as that is the traditional Mexican way to use that sauce but yes you can use chicken.
We happen to be pork lovers in our house. Love the spicy action happening here. I have a spiralizer….and those butternut squash noodles not only look delicious…they are fun to make and fun to eat. A very flavourful dish here for sure.
Thanks, Gloria I am glad you liked this recipe. It is indeed fun to make spirals as well as to eat them =)
Adobo sauce is so delicious, and it sounds great on pork. I always love a good pork chop recipe, so I can’t wait to try this!
These look so delicious! We love pork chops in this house so this is a must-try!