My favorite grilled pork chop recipe

Do you have a favorite grilled (or non grilled) pork recipe?


Thinly sliced pork chops are particularly suited to grilling, as they cook quickly, can get a nice char and can be done in bulk. They are also very forgiving—a few minutes of overcooking will not ruin them (just a few—too long and you’ve got shoe leather). The trick, if you can call it that, is to put a little of a sweetening agent in with the marinade—not so much for the sweetness as for caramelization during cooking. This particular recipe is my approximation of the chops found in Vietnamese restaurants and I’ve been making a version of it for years. You could add galangal, chili sauce, shallots—marinades are, for the most part, pretty forgiving. While it isn’t quite the right season for this recipe, I find that sometimes reading or thinking about grilling makes it seem warmer.



Pork Chops

2 1/2 lbs center cut pork chops, thinly sliced (note: bone in is more tasty, boneless is easier), and pounded.

Marinade:

1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tb chopped garlic
1 tb chopped ginger
1 lemon grass stem, tender part, coarsely chopped
juice of one lime
1 tb fish sauce
1/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems.
1/3 cup coarsely chopped green onions
1 tsp honey

Lettuce, herbs, cucumber, lime wedges for garnish

1. place Marinade ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pound pork chops two or three times on each time. The purpose is to make them a little thinner and to tenderize the chops.
3. Marinate pork chops for 6-24 hours.
4. Grill over high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side.
5. Serve with garnishes and roll in lettuce.