These sweet and spicy pork chops are the perfect main for your next meal, and they’re as easy as anything to make.
I have been making variations of my pork chop ramen at least once a week. The pork is so delicious that I felt it deserved its own post.
You can serve these pork chops in any number of ways. The multiple times I’ve made these, I go for piling thin slices of the fried pork on top of ramen. Here are a few other ideas:
- Cut the pork from the bone, dice it up, and use it in fried rice.
- Serve it with sautéed vegetables.
- Slice the pork from the bone and serve it on top of mashed sweet potatoes.
How to make my sweet and spicy pork chops:
The marinade
Start with a sweet and spicy marinade. Here’s what you need:
- Maple syrup or honey
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Chili oil
- Sesame seeds
- Shichimi togarashi.
I updated this recipe from the cabbage and pork ramen dish to include chili oil in the marinade. I like the bit of extra heat, but you can omit it if you like.
You can marinate the pork the morning of, but I wouldn’t marinate longer than 24 hours for thick cuts. For thin cuts, I would stick to a max of 6–8 hours. I recommend bone-in pork chops for the best flavor, but boneless or even a pork tenderloin will work well.
How to cook the pork
Once the pork marinates, fry it up! Crank the heat on your ovenproof skillet; you want the get a nice char. Once it has a good crust, flip it and cook on the other side for a few minutes. From there, chuck it in the oven until it reaches 140ºF at the thickest part.
How to serve the pork
Remove the pork from the oven and rest for 5 minutes. This ensures the juiciest pork chop!
From there, serve it up alongside your favorite vegetable. Otherwise, you can cut it from the bone and dice it for fried rice or thinly slice it for ramen.
I thinly slice the chops, and I finish them with minced scallions and more sesame seeds. It’s so perfect on ramen!
Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops
Equipment
- Ovenproof skillet
Ingredients
- 2 thick, bone-in pork chops
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons shichimi togarashi
- 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon chili oil, optional
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil for frying
For serving:
- 4 scallions, minced
- Roasted sesame seeds
- A few drops of sesame oil
Instructions
Marinate the pork:
- Pat the pork dry and season lightly with salt. Whisk the maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, shichimi togarashi, sesame seeds, and chili oil in a bowl. Add the pork chops and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 8 hours for thin cuts or overnight for thick cuts.
- When you’re ready to start the recipe, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Cook the pork:
- Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook for 5 minutes per side until they begin to char around the edges.
- Transfer to the oven for 12–15 minutes until the pork reaches 140ºF at the thickest part of the chop.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Rest for 5–10 minutes. Cut the pork from the bone and thinly slice.
To serve:
- Transfer the sliced pork to a serving platter. Garnish with minced scallions, sesame seeds, and a few drops of sesame oil. Enjoy!
