Hoisin-ish Pork Chops with Schezwan Green Beans

Yields: 3-4 Servings

Time: Prep 30 minutes, 5-25 minutes cooking

Hoisin is a Chinese sauce most commonly consisting of soybean paste, varieties of chilies, garlic and a sweetener. It’s a delicious, sweet and savory condiment that can be used on meats, in a stir fry, to roast veggies, or even as a dipping sauce for your favorite chicken nugs. During quarantine, I was forced to used what I had on hand to make my hoisin sauce: black bean paste, honey, and gochugaru. This twist on hoisin leads to an umami-packed meal that’s great as a weeknight entree.

Ingredients:

• 2 bone-in pork chops, thick or thin cut

• Kosher salt

• Soy sauce

• Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)

• Honey

• Toasted sesame oil

• Garlic

• Rice Vinegar (unseasoned)

• Chinese five spice

• Roasted black bean paste

• Toasted sesame seeds

• Green Beans

• Schezwan peppercorns

• Mustard seeds

• Avocado oil

Special Equipment:

• Cast iron skillet

Directions

Step One:

Preheat oven to 400º if using pork chops thicker than 1/2 inch. Thin cut will only need pan searing. Lightly season pork with kosher salt. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Step Two:

While pork is being salted, make hoisin sauce by mincing a clove or two of garlic. In a small mixing bowl whisk together equal parts black bean paste, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Taste and adjust to your liking. Add garlic, a few shakes of Chinese five spice, a dash of sesame oil, and about 1 tsp. each of honey and gochugaru to the same mixing bowl. Taste again for balance.

Step Three:

Coat pork in hoisin sauce and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. This can be done overnight! If you marinate overnight, make sure to bring pork back to room temperature before searing, otherwise the pork chops will not cook all the through.

Step Four:

In a mortar and pestle crush about 1 tsp. each of Schezwan pepper corns, mustard seeds, kosher salt, and toasted sesame seeds until a powder forms. Set aside. Trim ends of green beans. Wash, pat dry, and set aside.

Step Five:

Heat a liberal amount of avocado oil in a cast iron skillet. Once simmering, shake excess sauce off pork chops and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes or until crispy and browned. If you’re using thin cut pork, you’re done. Set aside pork to rest and keep warm. If using thick cut, place seared chops on center rack in the oven and bake for 5 minutes per 1/2 inch (e.g. if your chop is 2 inches thick that’ll be a total of 20 minutes in the oven.) Once cooked rest for 10 minutes.

Step Six:

In a separate skillet, heat a small amount of avocado oil until shimmering. Sauté green beans over medium heat until they turn bright green and still have an audible crack when snapped in two, about 6-8 minutes. Turn off the heat and toss in crushed schezwan seasoning. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Step Seven:

Pour green beans onto a serving tray and place pork directly on top. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Try this!

If you like a saucy chop, try making a dip to accompany your meal. Simply reserve all the extra sauce from marinating the pork and pour into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and leave for about 2 minutes (to cook out any raw meat juices), lower to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced. Spoon over chops and enjoy!