Indian Style Marinade

• Make a tandoori-style Indian marinade for pork chops. Combine plain yogurt, honey, minced garlic and some white wine vinegar in a bowl. Now add the following spices: cumin, ginger, turmeric, salt, cloves and cinnamon. For extra spice, add ground red pepper as well. To save time, use a garam masala or other Indian spice mix instead of individual spices. Stir to combine and marinate the chops in the mixture for a few hours, in the refrigerator.

Japanese Style Marinades

• A simple soy and ginger marinade gives pork chops a distinctly Japanese flavor. Combine equal amounts of red and white miso in a small bowl. Add grated or finely chopped fresh ginger and shallots, a few tablespoons of sake or sweet sherry, sugar and, if you like your marinade slightly thickened, a dash of cornstarch. If you prefer, you may omit the miso. Mix until thoroughly combined. Prick the chops with a fork so that they will absorb more of the marinade, if you wish. Pour into a zip-lock bag, add pork chops and seal the bag securely. Then refrigerate for a few hours before grilling the chops.

Chinese Style Marinade

• Make a Chinese style marinade for barbecued pork chops. Combine, in a bowl, five-spice powder, cinnamon, crushed garlic and grated ginger. Add hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar and Chinese rice wine or dry sherry. Mix well and pour into a shallow non-metal tray or dish. Place the pork chops in the marinade and leave them for about 30 minutes. Turn the chops once to make sure they are thoroughly marinated. Grill the chops on a barbecue or in a stove-top grilling pan for about five minutes on each side.

Filipino Style Marinade

• Filipino style marinated pork chops are also grilled on a barbecue. Prepare a marinade by combining, in a bowl, soy sauce, banana ketchup, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, Add to this white sugar, salt, pepper and powdered garlic, and mix well. Reserve some of the marinade for basting the meat when cooking. Soak the chops in the marinade for several hours, or overnight if your schedule allows. Grill the meat for about 10 minutes on each side. Baste with extra marinade if the chops look dry or are starting to burn. Serve over rice with chopped tomato and onion salad.