Sticky Garlic Pork Chops

Chef John makes this no-fuss dinner recipe of pork chops marinated and cooked in a sweet, sticky, and subtly spicy sauce of brown sugar, garlic, fish sauce, and soy sauce.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 500 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed, or more to taste
• 2 (10 ounce) thick-cut bone-in pork chops
• 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 0.25 cup rice vinegar
• 0.33333334326744 cup light brown sugar

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Combine brown sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, and fish sauce in a bowl for the marinade. Add a splash of soy sauce and a plop of ketchup. Finish off with black pepper and hot sauce.

Step 2

Pour 1/2 of the marinade into a baking dish and lay pork chops over marinade. Pour the remaining marinade on top and toss pork chops until well coated. Wrap with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, flipping chops every 30 minutes, 1 to 2 hours.

Step 3

Remove chops to a plate, scraping any excess marinade back into the baking dish.

Step 4

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place chops in the hot oil. Cook until outsides are nicely charred and meat springs back when lightly prodded, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chops to a plate to rest.

Step 5

Pour the marinade into the skillet. Raise heat to medium-high. Cook until marinade is reduced and sticky, 3 to 5 minutes. Return pork chops and any accumulated juices to the skillet.

Step 6

Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook pork chops, flipping and basting occasionally, until the centers are slightly pink and sauce is to your desired degree of stickiness, 6 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork should read about 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

Step 7

Plate each pork chop and spoon a portion of the sticky garlic sauce on top.