Pork/Sweet and Salty Pork Chops with Beef Jerky

By latin1

Ingredients

• Pork Chops
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 8 garlic cloves, halved
• 3 tbsp Asian Fish Sauce
• 3 tbso sugar
• 2 stalks fresh lemon grass, lower third only, chopped
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Twelve-6 oz boneless pork chops
• Sauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 stalks of fresh lemon grass, lower third only, minced
• One-1 " piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 12 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanut
• 1/2 cup finely shredded beef jerky (1 oz)

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Marinate the Pork Chops: In a mini food processor, combine the cilantro, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, pepper and 1 tbsp of the oil and process to a paste. Put the pork chops in a large, shallow dish and coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Make the Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water and bring to a simmer over moderate heat to dissolve the sugar. Simmer, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms, about 8 minutes. Add the lemon grass and ginger and slowly pour in the vinegar and fish sauce, stirring until the sauce is clear. Add the pepper and remove from heat.
Heat the 1/4 cup of oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer the garlic and oil to a small bowl.

Cook the Pork Chops: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Ineach of two large skillets, heat 2 tbsp of oil until shimmering. scrape some of the marinade off the chops. Add 6 chops to each skillet and cook over high heat until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the chops for 10 minutes or until barely pink in the middle. Transfer the chops to a large platter and spoon the caramel sauce on top. Drain the fried garlic and scatter it over the chops, along with the peanuts and chives. Garnish with jerky and serve at once.