Tamarind-Glazed Pork Chops
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 cup fresh orange juice
6 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. finely grated ginger
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 1 1⁄2"-thick pork rib chops
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Set a rack 4" from broiler; preheat. Mix together tamarind extract, sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium–low, and gently boil, partially covered and stirring often, until reduced by half , about 1 hour. Season with salt to taste; set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat dry pork rib chops; season with salt and pepper. Cook chops, turning once, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Arrange chops on a rack over an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet. Baste chops on one side with a generous portion of tamarind sauce. Broil until sauce is bubbly and starting to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over, and baste second side. Broil again until bubbly, about 3 minutes. Repeat basting and broiling process until all the sauce is used up and chops are caramelized and just cooked through, about 10 minutes more.
SERVES 4
I can't say enough wonderful things about this recipe!! It was utterly delicious and it didn't last the night in my household!!
Interestingly enough, I had used pork loins (and stuffed them) initially and it turned out rather dry, but SOOOo wonderful tasting. Then, I used chicken thighs--FANTASTIC!! Finally, I'd used a good marbled bit of pork and it was marvelous. The fat kept the meat moist and helped with the basting...I definitely recommend this.
Definitely, you will NOT regret trying this recipe. GO FOR IT!!
All bcs. a friend called a couple of hours before coming over to dinner to say that she'd just found two boneless pork chops in her fridge that needed to be used pronto. Could I do it? I'd give it my best shot. So my no-rush chicken breasts stayed in the fridge, I went on-line to Saveur, then to the grocery store & scored a couple cans of tamarind nectar.
Back home, I knew I didn't want to make anything that I had to think about, so I adapted. When my friend arrived, I skipped the sugar, put the tamarind nectar in a zip-lock bag, and added eye-balled amounts of soy sauce, olive oil, orange juice, garlic paste, ginger-chili paste (bcs. I didn't have ginger paste), and what-the-heck dijon mustard. Marinated the chops for the hour we had available, then pan-broiled them in a very heavy iron skillet (no salt).
Even with only an hour to marinate, the result was delicious! Subtle but noticeable, and the very slightest warmth of a finish from the chili. With a longer marination time (and a larger tamarind-to-flavoring ratio if that were one's taste), it would be outstanding.
A good alternative for people like me who don't care for sweet glazes. Thank you, Saveur!