Or, as I like to call it, the marinade that will make you forget about all other marinades.  It’s that good.

This Asian Marinade has become my go-to marinade for pork chops.  Since we did a ton of grilling the past few months we ended up eating pork chops with this marinade at least once a week. And, until our grill is completely covered with snow, it will continue. So incredibly delicious. It works really well on chicken and steak too, but on the pork?  Home run. There are so many wonderful flavors going on; salty and spicy and even a touch of citrus from the orange zest. Everything blends together perfectly.

The only reason I don’t use this on steak much is because we are trying to cut back on red meat.  But when we do treat ourselves, this is definitely one of the marinades I whip up.  It is very easy to put together and really doesn’t require too many ingredients.  I usually allow the meat to marinate the entire day, preparing it in the morning and letting it penetrate the meat for about 8 hours.  There have been times when I was rushed and only had 2-3 hours for marinating and it was just as delicious.  Of course, it helps to have thinner cut meat.

The sambal oelek does give this a bit of a kick, so start with my suggested 1 teaspoon the first time you try this.  If you can handle the spice and want it spicier, you can always add a bit more (with caution!) the next time around.

Here’s what you will need to marinate 4 pork chops…

Recipe

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

splash of toasted sesame oil (about 1/8 tsp)

1 tsp Sambal Oelek

zest of 1 small orange

1″ piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 large garlic clove, grated

Method

Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.  Pour over your favorite meat and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.