I love a good pork chop. And Korean style pork chops are one of my favourite ways to serve them up. Something about the umami-ness (like that’s a word) makes me smile.
Get to know Korean food
I have a thing for Korean food. Not sure why it isn’t more popular. It’s a little bit spicy. And it’s different from other Asian cuisines. Distinct. It’s not all about kimchi and Korean BBQ either. Korean is a rich culture with diverse cooking styles and tastes. It’s getting known though. I have a Korean grocery near my house now. And most Asian groceries carry a lot of Korean these days. So it’s not that far out there. Korean is a little bit spicy. Not mouth searing like some Asian cuisines but it does have a bit of a kick. Balanced. Savoury. Give it a try.
Korean pork chops are easier than you think
Korean style pork chops take about 5 minutes to prep and cook up in no time flat. A few ingredients, a quick marinade and your ready to go. There’s nothing too exotic here. Nothing crazy complicated. You might need a trip to an Asian grocer but you will be glad you went.
Gochujang – Korea’s secret weapon
One of the backbone seasonings in Korean cooking is gochujang. It’s what makes these Korean style pork chops what they are. Gochujang is a Korean chili paste. It’s not scary. Not strange. It’s not some weird fish concoction. If you’ve ever had Korean, you’ve had gochujang. It’s like miso with some heat. Not exactly. But pretty close. You can get it at pretty much any Asian market. If you can’t find it, mixing sriracha and miso comes pretty close.
You can cook these Korean style pork chops in a skillet and finish them off in an oven. Or you can grill them up for even more flavour. If you do cook them in a skillet you can spoon the drippings onto the chops. That’s a nice touch. However you cook these make sure you don’t go above an internal temperature of 135F. Pork loin is not forgiving. It will dry out on you and no wonder sauce is going to save it. But if you nail these Korean style pork chops you are going to love them.
