Fiery Asian Grilled Pork Chops

If you are looking for a great pork recipe for your outdoor grill this summer, this is it. It has become a favourite with us. I have featured it in my cooking shows and made it just recently at the annual BC EggFest on a Big Green Egg cooker.

I wrote this recipe back in 2008 to commemorate Summer Olympics in Beijing, and the flavour in this marinade is amazing. The Asian influence in this recipe is achieved with the inclusion of ingredients like soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil, and then further complimented by garnishing with sesame seeds and angle cut green onion.

I use berry sugar because it is a finer granule and dissolves better than regular white sugar. For diabetics, or to reduce the calorie count, you can replace this with an equal amount of Splenda brand granulated sweetener.

By cooking the residual marinade into a reduction glaze to finish the chops, they become so delectably delicious and scream with flavour. The only ingredient that may seem foreign to you is “sambal oelek”. It is a crushed chili product that comes in a liquid/paste form that is basically a re-hydrated form of the dried crushed chilies you have on your spice rack. It can usually be found in any major grocery store down the Asian food aisle or Imported foods aisle.

So, fire up the grill, and smile… because grilling incredible food has never been this easy before!

Fiery Asian Grilled Pork Chops

Recipe created by Chef Dez, chefdez.com

Makes 4 to 6 servings. Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 8 to 14 minutes
 
1/4    cup berry sugar (superfine sugar)
1/4    cup  soy sauce
6 – 8  garlic cloves, crushed
1       tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1       tablespoon sambal oelek (crushed chili paste/liquid)
1       teaspoon sesame oil
4 – 6  boneless pork loin center chops, approx. 700g total
1 – 2 green onions, sliced diagonally, for garnish
White and/or black sesame seeds, for garnish
 
COMBINE sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sambal oelek, and sesame oil. Add the pork chops and toss thoroughly. Cover or put in a sealed freezer bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 6 hours, tossing occasionally.
PREHEAT BBQ grill with a high flame. Remove chops from the marinade and put the residual marinade in a small pot.
COOK the pork chops on the grill over a medium to medium/high flame until cooked through, approximately 4 to 7 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chops and temperature of the grill.
BOIL the residual marinade at a full boil for approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
BRUSH the cooked marinade onto the pork chops once they have been flipped on the grill.
Serving Suggestions: Serve each pork chop garnished with a few green onion slices and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
 
Chef Dez is a Chef, Writer, & Culinary Instructor. Visit him at www.chefdez.com
 
Write to him at dez@chefdez.com or P.O. Box 2674, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6R4