Perfect Pork Marinade

I received a new campaign for pork from bzzagent* and although I haven't actually received the coupon yet, it inspired me to share this marinade.

We LOVE pork in our family! My husband is half Vietnamese and he grew up on pork and rice. To me, pork is so versatile and, for the most part, very inexpensive. Here is an awesome marinade using some traditional Vietnamese flavors that makes the most tender, moist, and delicious pork.

I used pork steak this particular time but you can use several different cuts and it doesn't matter whether or not it has a bone.

The Marinade:

about 1/2 c to 1 c fish sauce depending on how much pork you're cooking. I used about a cup. Please don't be afraid of the name. Fish sauce is salty and flavorful but it doesn't make your food "fishy". Try it.
about 2 tbsp diced garlic
about 1/2 cup lemon juice (I use bottled)
about a tbsp of olive oil
Mix everything together in a large bowl then add enough water so that the marinade will cover your meat. (as shown)I also added some chopped cilantro that I had left in the fridge and a splash of Ponzu but these are totally optional. Add your meat. Please don't add any salt because the fish sauce will take care of that.

You can marinate the pork anywhere from 1 to 4 hours or longer. Personally, I leave the marinating meat on the counter for about an hour, but it's up to you whether you are comfortable with this method or not. I've found that pork and beef grill better when closer to room temp. If not, cover with saran wrap and throw it in the fridge.

Now you're ready to start grilling. Heat your grill up to about 300 degrees on medium with the lid closed. Add your pork and close the lid.

One trick to grilling that a lot of people don't get is that you should really try not to flip your meat more than once. Now that we've added the meat, we want to keep an eye on the temperature. Once it's right under 400, open the lid and let them continue cooking. This is a bit of a process and it's something that you just learn but basically this method involves closing the lid to heat it up then opening to cool it down and so on and so on. Don't let it get past 400. Once the meat is starting to turn white on top and brown on bottom, it's time to flip. Continue grilling until bottom and top are cooked equally. Remember, pork doesn't have to be cooked to as high of a temp as say poultry. 145 degrees is the average recommendation with a 3 minute rest, and according to The National Pork Board, it's best that the juices run a bit pink. Overcooked pork is a big reason why a lot of people won't grill it. To be honest, I actually overcooked it a bit myself in this next pic.

Serve with some Jasmine rice and glazed carrots for a delicious meal.

*bzzagent is a word-of-mouth media channel that helps connect consumers with brands, companies and marketers to harness the power of honest opinions. In most cases, I have received a free product to try and give my honest opinion about.