Recipe for Korean-Style Pork Chops

Today, I’m going to give you the recipe for easy and delicious Korean-style pork chops. Yum!

Growing up, we ate a lot of pork. I can’t recall if it was just cheaper than other meats or if it was just my parent’s preferences. In any case, I remember having pork in a variety of ways. But you know what? I didn’t like it!

Sure, we had the occasional bacon which I loved. But who doesn’t love bacon?

That wasn’t the usual way my mom made pork. She usually made bossam (boiled pork wraps). I’ll try my hand at that dish another time.

But today, this pork dish is pan fried to get that beautiful caramel brown and roasted until fully cooked (if necessary). It’s going to be juicy and tender!

Ingredients

Pork chops – 4

Salt – 4 tablespoons (for the brine, so omit if you’re not going to brine the pork chops)

Olive oil – 1 tablespoon (for cooking)

Low-sodium soy sauce – 1/4 cup

Honey – 2 tablespoons

Garlic, minced – 3 tablespoons

Sesame oil – 1 teaspoon

Ginger, minced – 1 teaspoon

Korean red pepper flakes – just a pinch (it goes a long way!)

Sriracha sauce – 2 teaspoons (By the way, did you know that the correct pronunciation of sriracha is “see-ROTCH-ah,” NOT “sir-rotch-ah?” I just recently found out I had been pronouncing it wrong all these years!)

Green onions – about 2 tablespoons worth for garnish (I don’t think most Korean dishes are complete without some green or spring onions)

Instructions

I like to brine my pork chops so that they’re more tender and flavorful, but feel free to omit the brining and skip to preheating the oven.

1. Make the brine by adding 4 tablespoons of salt to 4 cups of water. Stir until salt is dissolved.
2. Lay pork chops in a single layer in a shallow container. Pour brine over the pork chops making sure that they are covered with the liquid. Let sit for anywhere between 15 minutes to four hours. (Refrigerate if it’s going to be longer than 30 minutes.)
3. When you’re ready to cook the pork chops, just remove them from their briny bath and pat them dry.
4. Preheat oven to 400°C.
5. Make the marinade by whisking together the soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, sesame oil, minced ginger, red pepper flakes, and sriracha sauce.
6. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish (something that’s wide and shallow). Pour marinade mix over the pork chops and turn pork chops so that they get coated well.
7. Place the pork chops in the refrigerator to marinate 20-30 minutes.
8. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil to coat the pan.
9. Cook pork chops in pan until they brown on one side. Then flip and brown the other side.
10. Place pan in the oven (if it can go in the oven, like a cast iron skillet; otherwise, transfer to an oven safe dish) to cook for another 10-15 minutes until fully cooked. (Time depends on the thickness of the pork chops.)
11. While the pork chops are in the oven, cut up the stalks of the green onion. Sprinkle on top of the pork chops when you’re ready to serve.

Time to Eat

I serve anything from brown rice and veggies to sweet potato fries along side these pork chops. Enjoy!

Did you use the brining step? I’ve found that it makes a world of difference in the tenderness of the pork chops!

If you thought this recipe was easy, try making egg bread next time! It’s super easy and yummy too!

As always, let me know how it goes! Share in the comments.