Thai Pork Chops

The basic flavors of Thailand are really hard to beat in my book. Whether it is a subtle red curry paste with coconut sauce, or the distinct flavor of kaffir lime leaves, you will be sure you walk away from a Thai dish experiencing wonderful flavors. So this past week I used a bit of coconut milk on another recipe I was working with, and had a half cup remaining. As I was not using the coconut milk on a Thai dish (hard to believe), as soon as I began to pour it out, I had a serious craving for a Thai red curry dish, but not the standard go to dish I typically made. Instead, I thought of grilling pork chops, and making a really super marinade out of simple Thai flavors.

• 1 whole stalk of lemongrass, minced
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• Thin cut pork chops, bone in, 4-6 chops
• cooked rice, optional

Yes, I said grilling. Wisconsin was recently hit with some really warm weather, of which melted all of our snow. So as soon as I saw my grill on the deck, I immediately thought of grilling something before the next wave of snow would hit us. Let’s begin on this really simple marinade that packs incredible flavor into these pork chops.

Begin by adding all of your ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Take your pork chops and add them to a gallon size ziploc bag. Add in the marinade, seal the bag, and give a good toss, making sure you get all of your pork chops coated. Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Remove the bag from the refrigerator, let it come up to room temperature. Get your grill preheated to a medium to high heat, making sure your grill grates are nice and clean, then add the chops. Close the cover, and cook for approximately 1-2 minutes. Open the cover, lift each chop and rotate about 45 degrees. Cover and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Repeat, however this time, flip the chop over. Your overall cook time should be around 8 minutes or to your desired doneness.

Remove and plate with simple white rice. Trust me when I say that when you bite into these chops you get such a wonderful flavor, and one that will definitely be the talk at the table. After creating the marinade, I thought this would also go well with chicken, fish, or shrimp. Enjoy!