Tribute to Dad: The (Kitchen) Master Blaster
7:40 AM
Yup. That's the legendary Stevie Wonder with my folks after dining at the family restaurant in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a a big fan of my dad's cooking naturally! My love for food has everything to do with my Dad. As executive chef of my family's restaurant for 40+ years, I have clear images of my dad on the line in the kitchen, testing different sauces, tasting a bit of this and a little of that. He worked tirelessly in the cavernous, often steamy kitchen, 7 days a week, 364 days a year. But I think it was on that one day off, my 'pop' was happiest being the family man, grilling up some meat in the backyard for the family.
So in honor of my dad and all you wonderful dads out there, we threw some meat on the open flame Asian-style with this simple recipe.
Grilled Asian Pork Chops
Adapted from Bon Appetit
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup black bean garlic sauce
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
4 bone-in pork chops
DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk together black bean sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, honey, ginger and scallions in shallow dish. Add pork to marinade; let stand 20 minutes.
2. Remove pork from marinade. Grill pork until just cooked through and thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 145°F, about 5 minutes per side.
The Good: Easy and quick to prepare. Delicious flavors that went well with pork. The kids loved it (but then again, the boys love all Asian cuisine)
The Bad: Leaves a bit of a mess on the grill. Could cut back on the black bean sauce a bit as it could be salty for some.
Grade: A-. This will be a weeknight staple, especially in the summer!
5 comments