Miso-Marinated Pork Chop

Sized for meal prep, this recipe uses an overnight marinade of fresh lemon, white miso, ginger, soy sauce and onion to tenderize and infuse the pork chops with layers of Asian-influenced flavors.

The steps are quite simple:

1. Make the marinade in a blender or food processor.
2. Marinate the pork overnight (at least 12 hours).
3. Cook the pork.
4. Reduce the marinade into a flavor-packed sauce that will keep the pork moist and flavorful upon reheating!

Typically, I cook a large batch of meat for the workweek, to make lunch simple and to ensure we are eating enough protein. I developed this recipe for two main reasons:

(1) It’s easy. (2) It’s delicious.

Miso is an ESSENTIAL in my refrigerator. Not only does it lend the ultimate tangy, umami, fermented flavor to a plethora of vegan cheeses, but it makes a flavor-packed addition to all types of sauces, vegetables and meats. Use it as a base for soup, or in a dressing for your salad.

Perhaps the best part of miso is that it’s fermented, meaning it has a long shelf life (in the fridge) and it really only gets better with age.

If you haven’t yet, go buy some white miso paste, then try this pork recipe!

INGREDIENTS

• Three large bone-in pork chops.

For Marinade:

• 1 TB white miso paste.
• One whole lemon.
• 1 TB fresh grated ginger, or 1 tsp dried ground ginger.
• 1/4 cup soy sauce.
• 1/2 tsp black pepper.
• 1/2 cup cold water.
• 1/2 white onion, roughly chopped.
• 1/4 cup oil of choice.
• 1 tsp sesame oil.

For Sauce:

• Remaining marinade.
• 1 TB corn starch dissolved in 1/3 cup water.
• 1 TB olive oil.
• 1 TB sriracha (optional).

DIRECTIONS

1. Gently peel lemon using vegetable peeler, or slice thinly with sharp knife. Once peel is removed, cut lemon in half. Juice lemon into blender or food processor. Add lemon peel and remaining marinade ingredients. Blend until smooth.
2. Place pork chops into a Ziploc bag or container that can be sealed and stored in the refrigerator. Pour marinade on top, completely coating chops.
3. Marinate in refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
4. When ready to cook, heat a cast iron skillet on stove over medium heat, with about 1 TB of oil of your choice (I used grapeseed). Alternatively, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Using clean tongs, remove pork from marinade. For stovetop, place directly in pan to achieve light sear. For oven, place pork on sheet pan and bake 15-18 min until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
6. Cook on stove top 5-7 minutes each side, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
7. Add the remaining marinade to a small sauce pot and bring to a gentle boil.
8. Add olive oil and sriracha. Dissolve corn starch in water and combine well before adding to sauce.
9. Allow sauce to simmer on the stove for 10-15 minutes, approximately the duration of the pork cooking process.
10. When pork has reached desired temperature, remove from stove and let rest three minutes. Pour sauce over top to serve.