By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 12, 2026
Serves 8
684 cal · 60 min
Grilled Pork with Lemon & Thyme Barley
Recipe GLPRfe4debfe656b18
Tender grilled pork medallions served alongside a hearty pearl barley pilaf infused with lemon zest, fresh thyme, and wilted spinach. The pork is marinated briefly in red wine vinegar and garlic for subtle flavor, then grilled until golden and cooked through.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
4 pork medallions
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
200g pearl barley
600ml hot chicken stock
4 lemon thyme sprigs, leaves only
100g bag baby spinach
juice and zest of 1 lemon
Directions
Place the pork medallions in a shallow dish. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and add the crushed garlic. Turn the medallions to coat evenly on all sides. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
While the pork marinates, heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and coriander seeds, stirring occasionally until the onion softens, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the pearl barley to the pan and stir for 1 minute to lightly toast the grains in the oil.
Pour in the hot chicken stock and add the lemon thyme leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the barley is tender and has absorbed the liquid.
While the barley cooks, heat a grill pan over high heat until very hot. Remove the pork medallions from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip away. Grill for 5 minutes on the first side until nicely browned.
Flip the pork medallions and grill for another 5 minutes on the second side until browned and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Stir the baby spinach, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the cooked barley until the spinach wilts completely. Divide the barley mixture among serving plates and top each with a grilled pork medallion.
Comments
All ingredients are standard stock at Charlotte chains, though fresh lemon thyme may require a trip to Harris Teeter's produce section or a specialty grocer if your Food Lion doesn't carry it reliably—dried thyme works fine as a swap. At roughly $2.50 per pound for pork shoulder or loin, plus cheap pantry staples like pearl barley and spinach, you're looking at about $1.80 to $2.20 per serving, driven mainly by the protein. The 60-minute claim is honest for grill time and barley cooking, but it glosses over 15 minutes of prep (trimming pork, crushing garlic, zesting lemon), so expect 75 minutes total on a weeknight. This is a solid family dinner that reheats well—both the pork and barley soak up flavor the next day—and the one-grill setup keeps attention low, though barley does need the occasional stir.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
