Korean style pork chops are a little bit spicy, a whole lot savoury and loaded with flavour. Try them when your everyday pork chops just won’t do.
I love a good pork chop. And Korean style pork chops are one of my favourite ways to serve them up. Something about the umami-ness (like that’s a word) makes me smile.
Get to know Korean food
I have a thing for Korean food. Not sure why it isn’t more popular. It’s a little bit spicy. And it’s different from other Asian cuisines. Distinct.
It’s not all about kimchi and Korean BBQ either. Korean is a rich culture with diverse cooking styles and tastes. It’s getting known though.
I have a Korean grocery near my house now. And most Asian groceries carry a lot of Korean these days. So it’s not that far out there.
Korean is a little bit spicy. Not mouth searing like some Asian cuisines but it does have a bit of a kick. Balanced. Savoury. Give it a try.
Korean pork chops are easier than you think
Korean style pork chops take about 5 minutes to prep and cook up in no time flat. A few ingredients, a quick marinade and your ready to go.
There’s nothing too exotic here. Nothing crazy complicated. You might need a trip to an Asian grocer but you will be glad you went.
Gochujang – Korea’s secret weapon
One of the backbone seasonings in Korean cooking is gochujang. It’s what makes these Korean style pork chops what they are.
Gochujang is a Korean chili paste. It’s not scary. Not strange. It’s not some weird fish concoction. If you’ve ever had Korean, you’ve had gochujang. It’s like miso with some heat. Not exactly. But pretty close.
You can get it at pretty much any Asian market. If you can’t find it, mixing sriracha and miso comes pretty close.
korean style pork chops
Ingredients
- 4 one inch thick pork loin chops
- 2 Tbsp gochujang
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- sesame seeds - for garnish
Instructions
The marinade
- Combine all the ingredients except the pork chops and sesame seeds and mix thoroughly. Gochujang is pretty thick out of the fridge so keep going. You will get to a smooth marinade.
- Mix the marinade with the pork.
Skillet method
- Pre-heat your oven to 375F.
- Heat a skillet large enough to hold the chops in a single layer over medium heat.
- Film the skillet with vegetable oil.
- Briefly fry the chops to brown them.
- Turn the chops over and place them in the pre-heated oven.
- Cook, until they reach an internal temperature of 135F.
- Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and spoon any juices from the pan overtop.
Grill method
- Prepare your grill for medium direct heat.
- Grill the chops, turning a couple times, until they reach an internal temperature of 135F.
- Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and spoon the accumulated juices overtop.
Nutrition
Want the comfort of a nice pasta al forno but you don’t have time to make anything fancy? Baked pasta with sausage alfredo sauce is a fast way to get a fix.
Simple. Fast. Easy. Sausage and a bit of crushed red chili kick the flavours up a notch. It’s an Italian spin on mac and cheese with pulled pork.
I’m a pasta al forno addict. It’s by far my favourite way to make pasta. Lasagna. Cannelloni. Even baked ziti. I love it all.
It’s all I can do not to fill this blog with 27 different lasagna recipes. Someday I’m going to try the Timpano from The Big Night. Look out Tony Shalhoub.
Baked pasta with sausage alfredo sauce is a lot easier than the Timpano if you’re not feeling up for a challenge. You can have this on the table in about 40 minutes. Timpano is around 6 hours.
