Low FODMAP Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon & Sage (Paleo, Whole30)

Grill lovers - get your grill on with these easy low FODMAP Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon and Sage! This grilled pork chops recipe comes together easily and gives your pork chops a punch of earthy, zesty flavour that's perfect for summer! The pork chops can be grilled on an outdoor grill or on a grill pan indoors and are also Paleo and Whole30 compliant. Serve these grilled pork chops with my low FODMAP Broccoli Salad with Bacon, which compliments the pork chops so well and makes for an even more enjoyable meal.

The Grill, Pork Chops, and Me

I'm not a huge fan of summer as I don't like being hot, but one of the things I look forward to is using my outdoor grill. It is one of the few cooking gadgets for which I will happily set aside my Instant Pot to use. I grew up eating grilled meats thanks to my late Dad, who loved grilling. I have expanded upon that in adulthood, grilling a larger variety of meats as well as veggies.

Pork chops are one of my favorite proteins to cook and eat, so we eat them often at our house. During the cooler months, we enjoy my Instant Pot Pork Chop One-Pot Meal recipe or pork chops grilled on a grill pan on the stove. I received a new reversible grill pan / griddle for Christmas last year and have had fun experimenting with that. However, nothing compares to meat cooked on an outdoor grill.

Why Pork Chops with Lemon and Sage?

Last summer I started an herb garden. In order to learn how to keep the herbs alive, I watched many a YouTube video. One of the videos mentioned that sage is a must for an herb garden and goes particularly well with pork chops.

I don't cook with sage often and rarely come across recipes that include it as an ingredient, so I thought, why not develop a pork chop recipe that highlights sage in the best possible way?

Since sage has some lemony notes to it, lemon juice was a likely choice to complement the herb, with a couple of teaspoons of lemon zest added to give it a further boost. Complete with garlic-infused olive oil, dried chives (my most favourite low FODMAP ingredient ever), salt, pepper and a smidgen of cayenne powder, and KAPOW! You have an an incredibly flavorful, well-balanced pork chop marinade that's easy to throw together and doesn't contain harmful additives or high FODMAP ingredients.

Necessary Equipment

The equipment I use to make these grilled pork chops with lemon and sage includes:

• Measuring cup or small bowl
• Whisk
• Measuring spoons
• Cutting board
• Chopping knife
• Citrus juicer
• Citrus zester
• Gallon-sized plastic bag
• Outdoor grill or a grill pan
• Grill tongs
• Instant read thermometer
• Meat tenderizer and plastic wrap (optional, if grilling particularly thick pork chops)

Low FODMAP Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon & Sage: Ingredients and Tips for Success

Pork Chops

For grilling, I typically prefer bone-in pork chops, but you can use boneless pork chops if you prefer. The pork chops I used in this recipe are cut around 1" thick and take about 5-6 minutes per side to grill to 145°F (63°C).

When I use boneless pork chops, they are typically pretty thick, so I first pound them with a meat tenderizer (with a piece of plastic wrap on top) prior to marinading them. This makes the meat more tender, and they require less time to cook.

Marinade

The low FODMAP pork chop marinade ingredients are as follows:

• Garlic-infused olive oil - adds garlicy flavour without adding FODMAPs. Also, adds fat to the marinade, which is necessary to keep the marinade from drying out the meat.
• Extra virgin olive oil - increases the amount of oil without adding too much garlic flavour and using up more precious garlic oil than necessary.
• Lemon juice, freshly squeezed - adds citrus, acidity and a little more liquid to the marinade to ensure it covers all of the chops.
• Lemon zest - intensifies the citrusy flavour of the chops. I do not recommend leaving it out!
• Dried chives - add more garlicy and oniony flavour to the marinade without adding FODMAPs.
• Fresh sage, finely chopped - brings an earthy, zesty flavour to the marinade.
• Salt and ground black pepper - enhance all the favours.
• Ground cayenne powder - brings a little extra zing to the chops without being too spicy.

I find it's easiest to add the marinade ingredients to a measuring cup and use a small whisk to mix them together. Then, you can easily pour the marinade into the plastic bag with the chops. Seal the bag, and then shuffle it around with your hands until the chops are evenly coated. Stick it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours prior to grilling.

Once you're ready to grill, preheat your grill or grill pan on medium heat. I allow my outdoor grill to reach a temperature of 400°F (204°C) prior to adding the chops to the grill. Grill the pork chops on each side for 4-6 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chops reach 145°F (63°C).

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This prevents the chops from losing their juices when cutting into them too soon after grilling.

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