Grilled Pork Chops In Oven - So Juicy and Tender!

I've always loved pork chops. It's my childhood favorite. I love the pork chops that my dad cooks - they are simply the best. And you know what? My dad still uses a really seasoned black cast iron wok that's over 2 decades old!!  And being the down-to-earth person that he is, he does not believe in replacing the wok whenever there are scratches.  Our house in Ipoh has no Thermomix, no non-stick work, no air-fryer, yet my dad whips up incredible dishes.

So I was finally daring enough to buy some pork chop slices while doing our grocery shopping at NST recently, despite being unsuccessful in whipping up juicy pork chops in the past.  The pork chops slices that I bought from NST looked tender, evident from the marbling effect and bone on each slice. So I bought 3 pieces to try.  I have had bad experiences with buying pork chop from the butcher. I used to get really lean ones with no traces of fat on the meat and no matter how I hammered the pork slices with the back of the kitchen chopper, the pork chop still turned out like shoe-leather.  How frustrating!!

This time, I decided to use the oven to grill the pork chops and OMG, they turned out really juicy and tender. They were SO delicious and I scored a 10/10 from the girls!!

HOW TO GET JUICY AND TENDER PORK CHOPS
The trick to tender and juicy pork chops is to get pork chop slices with bone-on and marble effect (means with fat on them).




I marinated the pork chops with soy sauce, a few dashes of Lea & Perrin sauce, black pepper, a dash of Chinese wine and palm sugar syrup.  I left the marinated pork chops in the fridge overnight, which allowed the sauces to permeate into every slice of pork chop.

The salt from the soy sauce changes the cell structure within the meat, resulting in a noticeably juicer chop.  The salt brine also seasons the interior of the meat.   I had read that brining can tenderize meat besides flavoring it.


HOW LONG TO GRILL IN THE OVEN
I grilled the pork chop at 180C for 10 minutes on each side.

While the pork chops were grilling in the oven, I sauteed some big onion rings in a non-stick wok.  I seasoned the onions with soy sauce, palm sugar syrup and black pepper.




Remove  the pork chops from the oven and pour the onion sauce over.



This is my first time grilling pork chops in the oven and it's a success!


I also made a quick soup using lean pork meat and anchovies.
I sauteed the anchovies with onions then poured in filtered water.  Next, add in the carrots and tomatoes and simmer in low flame for about forty minutes.  Add fish paste, eggs and bok choy and simmer for another 10 minutes.  This soup can even be a one-pot dish.





With the leftover soup from dinner, I used it to cook noodles for the girls for breakfast the next day.  I  cooked poached eggs using the soup.

And this bowl is mine -- with just a few strands of noodles and lots of organic alfalfa and radish sprouts :)