Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops

Every chef has a signature dish or something she is known for knockin’ out of the park . . . this, my friends, is mine 🙂 I’ve been accused of lacing these bad boys with crack! Harharhar! This is a really easy recipe that involves a few of those Asian essential ingredients that I love to cook with: nuoc mam, oyster flavor sauce, lemon grass, garlic powder, white pepper and onion powder!

BUY:

8-10 thin pork chops with bone-in
Minced garlic – 1-2 tsp
Oyster flavor sauce – 1-2 tbsp
finely chopped lemongrass (you can buy this frozen at the Asian market)
White pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder (1/2 tsp each)
Cayenne pepper – a few sprinkles
Sesame Oil – 2-3 drops
Fish sauce (nuoc mam) – 3 tbsp
Red pepper flakes – 1 tbsp

PREP:

In a large ziploc bag, place all of the ingredients. Add the pork chops to the marinade. Leave in fridge for at least an hour before cooking.

I like to serve these chops with jasmine rice and a cucumber, tomato, onion salad. You can make this and leave in fridge to cool until you’re ready to serve supper!

Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad: Dice one red onion, a few roma tomatoes, and one large cucumber into ¼ inch size cubes, set aside.

Dressing for the salad: In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp of sugar, ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, ½ tbsp. of crushed black pepper, and 2-3 splashes of olive oil. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

**Don’t pour the dressing over the salad until ready to serve, it will make everything soggy. When ready, toss the salad in the dressing and add fried onions and a couple of tears of a cilantro bunch to finish.

CUC:

I use a gas grill . . . don’t be disappointed, I hope my next grill can be both a gas and charcoal master! Gas is good because it heats up quickly and can be controlled with more precision.

I normally start the grill on high, use a half of an onion on end of a barbecue fork to clean the grill and then reduce heat to 375-400 degrees. Place chops on the grill and close the top. **The thickness of your chops will determine the cooking time. I usually use thin chops, so cooking will be rather quick, about 10 mins (5 mins on each side).