Ginger-Marinated Pork Chops

This was my first-time-ever to cook pork!  No lie.  I actually went about 8 years without eating a bite of the stuff, and just recently decided that it would be okay to add it back into my healthy diet.  A lean cut of pork tenderloin has less fat and calories than any type of chicken other than boneless, skinless breasts.  So why not!??

This might be an LGTG.... Looks Gross, Tastes Great.


I adapted this recipe from one by elly says opa.  She used a traditional pork loin, but I used tenderloin center-cut chops instead.



My Players:

• 3 lean, boneless center-cut pork loin chops (2 for Hungry Hubby, 1 for moi)
• Fresh ginger, grated (see more on this debacle below), 3 tbsp.
• Low-sodium chicken broth, 2/3 cup + 1/2 cup
• Low-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup
• Ketchup, 3 tbsp.
• Splenda brown sugar, 1/4 cup
• Balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp.
• Olive oil, 1 tbsp.

Whisk together 2/3 cup chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, ginger, garlic, and vinegar.  Pour into a plastic bag, add the pork, and marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge.



Now, back to that fresh, grated ginger.  I obviously didn't know what I was doing.  Yup, I'll admit it.  After peeling it, I tried to grate it using this grater-doo-hicky thing I got as a wedding gift...

MAJOR. FAIL.  That grater was clearly not meant for ginger.  It took me forever to get all of those pieces out of the itty-bitty holes!


I went straight back to my peeler and just peeled off little pieces of the ginger.  This was easy and it worked.

Moving on...  Get the bag of pork back out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour.

 Heat the oven to 425.  Pat the pork dry, but keep the marinade in the bag.

Sear the pork in a skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil.  Sear it on all sides, this should take about 3 minutes.

Transfer the pork to an oven-safe pan, and bake it for 8-10 minutes. (Internal temp should be 150.)

Pour the marinade back into the skillet, and add the rest of the chicken broth.  Let it boil for about 10 minutes.

The pork is served with the juice on top.  Drool.

I took the easy-way-out with the side dish for this... Alexia Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Vegetables.

I highly recommend this for a super easy yet delicious side!

And now presenting.... Nora's first attempt at pork!

The meat was tender and the marinade was AMAAAAAAZING!  We saved the leftover juice and used it over rice the next night.  2-for-1 baby!  ;)

Do you eat pork?