The pig might be the most versatile animal in the culinary kingdom. How has one divine creature blessed us with ham, bacon, ribs, pulled pork, tenderloin, and, well, so many other delicious fleshy bits?And let's not forget the pork chop. When done well, a pork chop is a thing of beauty. But too often, pork chops are done wrong, resulting in a situation where you have to work your way through a tough, dry piece of meat that is suddenly unfortunately large.So how do you guarantee your pork chop is juicy AF? You brine it. Or, in the case of this Vietnamese-inspired chop from Bao La—chef of Hong Kong's Brasserie Le Garcon Saigon— you make a marinade that's fresh and sweet and savory as hell.
The fish sauce basically acts as salt, more or less turning this mixture of lemongrass, garlic, sugar, black pepper, and maple syrup into a brine that will guarantee these bad boys won't lose their moisture when you throw them on the grill.Just marinate overnight, fire up your barbecue, and prepare to celebrate the humble pig.RECIPE: Grilled Lemongrass Porkchops