Lemongrass Pork Chops
These lemongrass pork chops have been one of my go-tos since I first made them 4 years ago. Back then, I wasn’t cooking much but tried to every once in a while. These were so delicious the first time that I kept making and perfecting them, and this recipe continues to be one of my favorites to this day. It’s incredibly simple and requires very few dishes to prep which is always a plus! One thing you have to remember is to prep them early so that the chops sit in the marinade for long enough to soak up the flavors. The actual prep and cook time is minimal.
The marinade and sauce make this dish incredibly flavorful, with hints of savory from the fish sauce, sweetness from the sugar, tangy from the lemongrass and lime juice and spice from the peppers. I like saving about 2 tablespoons of the marinade to pour on the pork at the end for extra flavor.
There are two key things to keep in mind for these pork chops. First, you’ll want to select chops that have some fat on them. Overly lean pork turns out pretty dry and tough. Second, you want the pork to char using super high heat without burning. By cooking it under the broiler, you get a nice char around the edges of the pork. The charred pieces are always my favorite so I always pick them before somebody else does! I recommend boneless pork chops here because it’s easier to slice at the end but bone-in chops work just as well. You’ll just have to navigate around the bone when you’re slicing.
I love serving these with some honey baked carrots which I can also stick in the oven for an easy clean up. It makes for a great carb-less meal—something I’ve been trying to do more often but it’s hard when I grew up eating bowls and bowls of white rice everyday! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Lemongrass Pork Chops
Total Time: 4 hours 30 mins
(Prep: 4 hours 5 mins / Cook: 25 mins)
Serving Size: 2
Ingredients:
- 3 boneless pork chops, each about 3/4 inch thick
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
- 1 lime, chopped into wedges for serving
- 1/8 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Marinade:
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped (only the light green + white parts)
- 3/4 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoons shallot finely chopped (or red onion)
- 1 fresno pepper, finely chopped (or Thai chilies or serrano peppers)
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients for the marinade (sugar, fish sauce, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fresno pepper and black pepper) in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
2. Put your pork chops in a large ziploc bag.
Save 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set aside. Pour the remainder of the marinade in the ziploc bag over the pork. Seal the ziploc and massage the pork until all sides are covered with the marinade. Put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. When you’re ready to cook, set the broiler to high and set your oven rack to 6 inches from the broiler.
4. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and place on a broiler pan. (If you don’t have a broiler pan, a baking sheet will work too.) Place it in your oven right under the broiler.
5. Cook for 8 minutes, take the pan out and flip the pork. Cook for another 8 minutes or until the juices run clear and there's some char around the edges.
6. Remove them from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes.
7. Slice the meat across the grain in diagonal strokes and plate the pork.
8. Pour the 2 tablespoons of marinade you set aside earlier onto the dish (not the one you marinated the pork with!) and drizzle a bit of honey.
9. Top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Notes:
1. Sometimes I like to rearrange the pork when I flip them so that they cook more evenly since my broiler runs hotter towards the inside of the oven.
2. Cooking times may vary depending on the thickness of your pork but you want to reach an internal temperature of 145°F.