Vietnamese Pork Chops (Sườn Nướng)

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 3 hours 10 minutes
• total time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 lb pork chops (about 6 chops)

3 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG)

4 Tbsp neutral cooking oil

6 Tbsp lemongrass, minced

2 Tbsp garlic, minced (about 6 cloves)

2 Tbsp shallots, minced

1 tomato, sliced

1 cucumber, sliced

6 leaves green leaf lettuce

3 Tbsp scallion & oil (mỡ hành)

3 Tbsp dipping fish sauce (nước chấm)

Directions

Rinse pork chops under running water and lightly scrub with salt. Pat dry with paper towels.

Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine and dissolve sugar and MSG. Then add the Marinade Aromatics.

Marinade the pork chops in a bowl or bag in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but ideally overnight.

Remove the chops from the marinade and discard the extra liquid--you can keep the aromatics on that stuck to the chops though.

Cooking

Grill on a BBQ, giving at least 1-2 inches spacing between each chop. Sear on high heat for browning or grill marks for a few minutes, then lower to medium heat and cook on both sides, flipping often until cooked all the way through. When done, the pork should read 145 °F using an instant read thermometer at the thickest part of the cut.

Pan fry: 1-2 chops at a time on medium to medium high heat without crowding the pan. When done, the pork should read 145 °F using an instant read thermometer at the thickest part of the cut.

In the oven: Bake at 375 °F for 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat hits around 135 °F. Lower the rack and broil, flipping a few times during broiling, to get nice coloring on both sides. Again, the pork is done when the internal temp reaches 145 °F.

Serve with a side of rice, veggies & garnish, and nuoc cham (dipping/prepared fish sauce).

Nutrition

• Calories: 373 kcal
• Total Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 101 mg
• Sodium: 1593 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 12 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 8 g
• Protein: 35 g