Miso Pork Chops
If you need an easy, healthy dinner, you have to try these Miso Pork Chops. Juicy bone in pork, marinated in a Japanese miso, garlic and ginger brine until tender, and pan seared until caramelized. This recipe uses only 8 ingredient and cooks in less than 10 minutes!
I feel like pork chops are one of the most under rated meats because people find them difficult to cook. This recipe is inspired by a restaurant I went to called Social Eating House, which has the best Miso Pork Chops I’ve ever had! It was so good, that I had to create my own version!
Tender miso marinated pork loin chops
What sets these Japanese inspired pork chops apart from other recipes is that they are smothered in a thick miso coating. The longer you marinade them, the more tender and flavoursome they become!
As a dietitian, I think pork chops are a great lean meat that is high in protein, plus they’re fairly cheap. But they can also be a healthy, quick and easy dinner, ready in just 15 minutes! This recipe is perfect as a meal for two, but is also easy to scale up for a BBQ. Pair it with some steamed vegetables and brown rice for a good, balanced meal!
This recipe is also diabetic friendly, gluten free and low FODMAP (if you leave out the garlic).
Miso Pork Chops ingredients
What’s great about this asian-style recipe is that you don’t need a lot of ingredients to make delicious, tender pork chops. Additionally, most of them are relatively healthy and easy to find.
- Pork loin chops – Are a good, lean cut, plus they tend to go on sale fairly often. They’re also more budget friendly than ribeye, sirloin or cutlets. Bone in chops are the best choice as the bone adds extra flavour and helps prevent them from drying out.
- Mirin – Adds a mild sweetness that helps to balance all the Japanese flavours of the miso and vinegar.
- Sake – Also helps to make the pork chops tender and adds more umami flavours.
- Rice wine vinegar – Gives the marinade a touch of acidity, which helps to balance out the mirin.
- Garlic & ginger – I used powdered herbs, as they spread flavour more evenly through the marinade.
- Seame oil – Adds a subtle nutty flavour.
- Miso paste – I used red miso paste, as it has a bolder flavour. However, this recipe should also work with white miso paste. You can find it at Coles, Woolworths or Asian supermarkets.
How to make Miso Pork Chops
Marinating & Tenderizing
Miso makes the best marinade, because it does two things: flavours and tenderizes! It acts like a brine because of the salt (but still lower sodium than shoyu / soy sauce). Plus, miso paste is fermented, so it contains bacteria and enzymes that break down proteins. Hello delicious and moist pork!
- Make marinade – In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients except the miso paste and sesame oil. Mix well until the clumps of garlic and ginger disappear. Add the miso and sesame oil and mix until the marinade is clump free.
- Tenderize pork chops – Pat dry the pork loin chops with paper towel and place them into a shallow container without overlapping. Pour in half the mixed marinade, spread evenly to form a coating over the chops. Using a fork, pierce all over the miso glazed pork chops, including the fat. They should look like they severely lost a fight with a porcupine. This helps with tenderizing, pushes the marinade into the meat and prevents the edges from curling when cooking them. Turn the pork loin chops over and repeat with other side.
- Marinade pork chops – Put the lid on the container and place the pork chops in the fridge to marinade.
How long to marinate pork chops?
It is important to note, that this recipe will not achieve ‘melt in your mouth’ tender, but it gets pretty close. Below is a rough guide for marinating your pork:
- 3 hours – Will have decent flavour and be tender, but not‘melt in your mouth’ tender.
- 12 hours – This is the sweet spot.
- 24 hours – This is the max! Marinating for longer risks the meat becoming mushy from the protein breakdown.
I like to my prepare my Miso Pork Chops during the evening the night before. This gives the marinade plenty of time to work it’s magic and they’re ready for dinner the next night.
*You may notice your chops changing colour after the 12 hour mark. Don’t worry, they’re still edible.
The best way to cook pork loin chops
Pork loin chops are at their best when pan fried on the stove top or on the grill / BBQ. Not only are these methods fast, but that yummy miso marinade becomes caramelized and crusted onto the chops. While the meat is moist, juicy and a light blush pink in the centre.
Make sure to take your chops out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking so they come to room temperature.
- Fry pork chops – Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the miso marinated pork chops to the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Then flip other and cook for another 3 minutes. Optional: Sear the fat for 1 minute.
- Rest – Remove the seared pork chops from the pan and rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve – Serve your pan fried pork chops with a side of brown rice and vegetables.
*If you want to make grilled Miso Pork Chops, brush the grills / plate with extra virgin olive then follow the instructions above.
Serve with
Being a Japanese style protein, this Miso Pork Chops recipe is best paired with healthy brown rice and simple mixed vegetables. However, other good options include:
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Tips
Try to get lean pork chops that are evenly thick, otherwise they will not cook evenly. Alternatively, you can pound the thick chops with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
Watch how to make it
Want more healthy Asian recipes?
- A simple Baked Barramundi with Thai Sauce
- Tender Chinese Curry Prawns Stir Fry
- A great Shanghai Wonton Soup
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Ingredients
Miso Marinade
- 1 tbsp red miso paste
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp cooking sake
- 3/4 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp powdered garlic
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Other
- 2 lean pork loin chops, ~4/5 inch thick, 250 g / 8.8 oz each, bone included
Instructions
Marinating & Tenderizing
- Make marinade – In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients except the miso and sesame oil. Mix well until the clumps of garlic and ginger disappear. Add the miso and sesame oil and mix until the marinade is clump free.
- Tenderize pork chops – Pat dry the pork loin chops with paper towel and place them into a shallow container without overlapping. Pour in half the mixed marinade, spread evenly to form a coating over the chops. Using a fork, pierce all over the miso glazed pork chops, including the fat. Turn the pork loin chops over and repeat with other side.
- Marinade pork chops – Put the lid on the container and place the pork chops in the fridge to marinade. (Note 2)
Cooking the Miso Pork Chops
- Fry pork chops – Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the miso marinated pork chops to the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Then flip other and cook for another 3 minutes. Optional: Sear the fat for 1 minute.
- Rest – Remove the seared pork chops from the pan and rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve – Serve your pan fried pork chops with a side of brown rice and vegetables.
Notes
- Measurements – This recipe uses 250ml cup and 20ml tablespoons measurements. Using US measurements may alter the recipe results.
- Marinade times – Below is a rough guide for marinating your pork:
- 3 hours – Will have decent flavour and be tender, but not‘melt in your mouth’ tender.
- 12 hours – This is the sweet spot.
- 24 hours – This is the max! Marinating for longer risks the meat becoming mushy from enzymes breaking down the protein.
- Grill / BBQ – Brush the grills / plate with extra virgin olive then follow the instructions above.
- Gluten free – Double check to make sure the miso you’re using is certified as gluten free.
- Storage – 2 – 3 days, but is best eaten fresh. Can be reheated in the microwave.
- Nutrition – Calculated per serve, assuming 2 serves with 3/4 of marinade and without sides.
Super delicious and easy! Love this recipe!