This grilled pork chop, once marinated, you can cook it in any way you want. You can pan-fry or bake as well. But all the good things happen in the barbecue grill. Grill grates have the power to deliver that savory caramelization (in other words, Maillard reaction from the culinary genius) that creates indisputable mouth-watering flavor on your meat. Would you believe that the smoke brings the best flavor together to the max???
Don't let the many hours fool you in this recipe. Only 30% of the time is active and the rest is inactive. This means all your errands for the day are done before hitting to fire your barbecue grill. It is this long inactive waiting that makes every bite memorable.
Mushroom and ground pork garam masala served with roasted sweet potatoes is another option if you want to try and add more spice to your repertoire
What is Mongolian grilled/barbeque?
You can't find grilled Mongolian pork chop or Mongolian barbecue in Mongolia but you can in Taiwan. It is created by Taiwanese comedian and restaurateur Wu Zhaunan who migrated from Baejing1
"Mongolian barbeque is an implication for sizzle. It's the taste of home for the Chinese in Taiwan. It is a Beijin' Natives barbecue fancy in a foreign land. It's a quasi style filled with the diaspora. The Mongolian barbeque Wu Zhaunan created wasn't Beijin' barbeque. It's the outcome of collage of memories, a symbol of rebuild and poetic imagination to present the sentiment of home."- Katy Hui Wen Hung
Mongolian sauce
I first tasted Mongolian barbeque in Taipei "Ghenghis Khan Mongolian barbecue restaurant" a long, long time ago. Then, Mongolian beef from the famous P.F. Chang restaurant in Florida, and neither of them has anything to do with Mongolia, but sure they're both tasty and delicious.
My favorite Mongolian sauce Adopted from an Asian recipe which is the foundation of this Mongolian barbecue pork chop recipe.
- 2 peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chilli sauce such as shriracha
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
> Whisk until smooth and incorporated.
How to make grilled Mongolian porkchop?
Make the marinade: Prepare all the ingredients, chop and grind the herbs and spices using pestle and mortar or use the side of your knife and chopping board then combine with the liquid ingredients. But in this recipe, let us use the food processor( if available) for ease. Add vinegar, sugar, herbs and spices, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut butter into the food processor and give a blitz until the fresh herbs are finely chopped and incorporated.
Marinate: There is something so remarkably fabulous when you marinate, drowning these pork chops for hours in the marinade. By doing this, the result is brutally flavorsome!
Grill: After hours of marinating, any method of cooking will be equally delicious. The top-secret is to create a glorious overall browning of the meat while precisely controlling the doneness while smoking, and caramelizing. Flipping and turning around more often until it is done is the key. To finish it off, let it rest, covered, for the juices to settle down.
According to the legendary grill master Meathead Goldwyn, "If you are after the savory Maillard reaction, just golden brown, just slightly smokey and scorched flavor, grill marks aren't the way. Brown is beautiful, brown is flavor."
What to serve with Mongolian porkchops.
Originally, Mongolian dishes are served with cabbage, boiled potatoes, and rice to name a few. For my preference, and since we are all into summer; a nice mixed lettuce salad with ginger-sesame vinaigrette is a perfect match for this Asian pork chop. Maybe a heartier side dish, Joy of kale and sweet potato salad works too, and finish the meal with The most amazing rhubarb upside-down cake.
The best Mongolian grilled Pork chops
Equipment
- Food processor,
- grilling pan, charcoal grill or gas/propane grill
Ingredients
- 4 (8) ounces Bone-in pork chops (between ¾" thick)
Marinade
- 4 large Garlic cloves
- 2 inch Ginger
- 1 large Shallots
- 15 stems and leaves Cilantro
- 4 tablespoon Sherry vinegar (red wine or apple cider )
- 2 tablespoon Rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
- 4 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon Peanut butter
- 3 tablespoon Brown sugar-packed ,1 tablespoon extra
- 2 tablespoon Hot chili sauce such as sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Place the pork chops in a large deep dish enough to accommodate the meat or in Large Ziploc bags.
Make the marinade
- >If using a food processor, place the garlic, ginger, and shallots. Pulse for a few seconds to break them. add the cilantro and pulse for another 5 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth but the fresh herbs are still visible. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the marinade and pour the rest into the pork chops. Marinade for at least 4-6 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- > If you're not going to use a food processor, mince the garlic, grate the ginger and finely chop the shallot and cilantro. Combine all the marinade ingredients.
- Arrange the pork chops in a deep dish container enough to snug the meat or use a large ziplock bags. Pour the marinade and let it marinate for at least 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Remove the pork chops from the marinade letting all the marinade to drip. Discard the used marinade.
- Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar into the reserved marinade and stir until the sugar melt, set aside for basting.
- Fire up your charcoal grill or gas/propane grill, setting up two-zone (zone 1 for high heat and zone 2 for low heat. Just before placing the chops into the grate, dip a folded paper towel in cooking oil and oil the entire grate. Place the chops on the hottest part of the grate and sear for 6 minutes flipping and turning every minute per side to create even browning.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the reserved marinade and whisk until sugar melts. Baste one side of the pork chop and move to the coolest side of the grill (basted side down). Put the lid on and let it cook for 5 minutes. Baste the other side and flip, bring back the lid on, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 147°F.
- Transfer to a plater and let it rest for 5 minutes covered with aluminum foil to allow the juices settle back into the meat.
Notes
- Marinate extra pork chops and store them in the freezer for future cooking. Marinated meats are best kept in the freezer for 3 months.
- The marinade is also great with chicken, beef, and veal chops.
NUTRITION FACTS
Reference:https://katyhuiwenhung.blogspot.com/2018/09/mongolian-bbq-history-taipei.html
Vera McCallum says
These meals are amazing, stop and try them you will not be disappointed.
Joy is one amazing chef.