Grilled Pork

One the of the staple meals growing up in my house was pork chops. However, it was always the same, one dish prepared the same exact way: boiled with potatoes and sauerkraut.  As the years went on and my taste buds developed and expanded, I stopped eating this dish as I found it too bland.

 

I recently had pork chops prepared very differently over Easter with my husband's family.  It was so scrumptious that I nearly made a pig of myself.  I was in love with pork chops again but didn't know how to prepare pork chops any other way than from my childhood.  I begged my husband's aunt & uncle for the recipe.  Once I found out the time that was involved in making this dish (more than a day), I wasn't that in love with it.  I had to find an alternative.  Here is that alternative.

 

This recipe hails from a cookbook called The Essential Asian Cookbook.  I received it as a wedding gift over 4 years ago and this is the first time using it :)

 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork chops
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed (I was lazy and used my good old minced jarred garlic)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (this is not hard to fine; it is in the Asian section of most major supermarkets)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (this is not hard to fine; it is in the Asian section of most major supermarkets)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions (scallions)

Directions

1. PLACE the pork chops in a large glass bowl and add the garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce and black pepper. 
2. STIR well so that all the meat is covered with the marinade; cover and marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator. (I combined Steps 1 & 2 by throwing everything in a Ziplock bag and letting it sit in the fridge overnight :)
3. PREHEAT the grill to hot; grill the pork on all sides until browned and cooked through.  If the meat starts to burn, move it further away from the grill element.  Alternatively you can cook the meat on a hot barbecue grill. (I threw mine on the George Foreman at 350 for about 10 minutes)
4. ARRANGE the pork on a serving platter and scatter over the spring onion.

Results:  Pretty decent alternative.  Also super easy to make.  While this recipe still didn't make my husband a fan of pork, I think I will see how this freezes and make a bunch for myself ;)

If you are keeping track:

Nutrition per serving (recipe serves 4):

• Calories 300
• Protein 60g
• Fat 5g
• Carbs 4g
• Dietary Fiber 1 g
• Cholesterol 130 mg