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Cooking Notes
Paully
Do I understand that the cooked pork goes back in the marinade where the uncooked pork was? Is that safe?
Esuzdaly
Paully - nope, half the marinade is reserved for topping the cooked pork and greens.
David
This was excellent. Ideas from others that are good additions:1. Double marinade if using rice noodles so reserved half is larger2. Include basil3. Use a bit of sesame oil on the rice noodles 4. One from me: the marinade already has a lot of lime in it. Grill another orange (so two) instead of another lime for the finish
Melva L
Pork steak: a Midwestern basic food. Here in the Midwest we have the meat cutter slice whole pork shoulders into steaks; freezing what we don't intend to use. We grill with salt and pepper, finishing with a good barbeque sauce at the end. Or we just grill with salt, pepper & beau monde, serving with corn on the cob, potato salad (mayonnaise dressed) and sliced tomatoes. It our favorite summer meal
Su
Equilibrist, I use a version of this dressing (palm sugar instead of brown, sambal definitely not optional) on many, many things and it essentially never goes wrong. I really do think the lighter, sweeter flavor of pork is a better match than heavier, richer beef here -- nearly anything (chicken, most fishes, lamb, broccoli) >> beef -- but you could put that marinade/dressing on a rock and it would still taste good.
Maggie
You can substitute soy sauce -- I really wouldn't leave it out -- but you would be very surprised at the non-fishy flavor of fish sauce. You might buy a small bottle (I like Red Boat brand), and give it a try.
Martin R.
If using a seasoned cast iron pan, I think the steaks should be thinner than 1”. Maybe 1/2 inch and pounded to 1/4 inch. The pan should be very hot and the thin steaks will cook in about 2 minutes. With this marinade, no need to to add oil to the skillet. (Stainless skillet might need thin coat of oil with high smoke point.)
Martin R.
I think you are supposed to cut the steaks into 1/4 inch wide strips. This will make it easy to wrap in lettuce leaves and eat by hand.
Chris
I just made this for dinner and it's SO GOOD. Great Thai inspired dish. We're not great at getting our charcoal grill hot, but it seemed to work out. Definitely get some char on there- it's delicious. I added some chopped peanuts as well- was pretty good but no necessary. Didn't have sambal so I subbed shiracha and that worked well. Our mint plant was trashed so I used basil instead- also worked out well. Going to serve this at our next BBQ and wow our guests!
Eric Phillips
This is a terrific recipe. Fresh and tasty, it was very nice over the cold rice noodles for a summer dinner. Don't skimp on the herbs, and do add basil to the herb salad. It was pictured in the article, but omitted from the recipe. I used Thai basil, but any kind is a nice addition.
Lee
Don't be afraid of fish sauce - the smell is intense - the flavor is subtle and delicious.
jkloza
Can I give this more than 5 stars? One of my favorite Alison Roman recipes so far. Surprisingly complex, bright flavors given how easy this was. We cooked this in a cast iron skillet in 2 batches. High heat with canola oil for 3 1/2 minutes per side and it was cooked perfectly. We will be making this again soon.
Ted
The fish sauce is a critical component to the dish. Leaving it out would take away that umami flavor that you get in the final product. My suggestion is not to smell fish sauce on it's own...ever! It DOES stink then, but when "cut" with the sugar and lime juice, really comes together.
Karen
Supermarket pork butts were all 3+ lbs., so I bought same already cut as "ribs" at 1.6 lbs. Cooking time was closer to 12 minutes than 8. I don't think the cooked pork needs to be sliced 1/4" thick. You could serve the steaks in larger portions, depending on the size of the butt. Also, if you are serving over rice or rice noodles, it would help to double the marinade, reserving half as sauce.
Penni Gladstone
Crazy good. Extremely flavorful. Made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. No Chile paste so I used regular chili powder which was great. Used the lettuce I had in the house. Could use one more shallot. Noodles were a big hit. We individually dressed our dishes so it didn't swim in dressing.
Deb
very good and easy - used rice noodles…increased marinade could have used more as dressing…even 2 lbs pork shoulder didn’t seem like quite enough meat with rice noodles, lettuce and 1/2 cup peanuts for 5 adult servings
Heather
Tasty! Things to try for next time: add more garlic to the recipe, use the full 2 tbsp of sambel, and double the marinade time.
Simone
Wildly delicious!
Kathy
This was good, but not quite the wow I was hoping for. I did really enjoy the pork shoulder cooked this way. the marinade from the Food Network chicken satay with spicy Thai Peanut sauce was a much nicer dressing. This needs lots of fresh herbs, including Thai Basil. I also added thinly sliced cucumbers from the garden. Not a bad meal, but I was hoping to serve it to company and I don’t think I will.
farleyface
All I can say is I followed this recipe to the letter with the exception of doubling the marinade. It is so good! My husband was raving that it was the best pork he has had in a long time. He couldn’t stop raving. Served over escarole with rice grits - perfect. Alison Roman never fails!
Robin
I've made this with pork shoulder steaks and pork tenderloin, which was easier to find. Both very good, but I prefer the leaner cut of the pork tenderloin. Agree with the suggestions to double the marinade/dressing.
KathyK
Heavens that was delicious! I subbed chili garlic paste for sambal and garlic (as we had no sambal) and used bone in pork shoulder steaks from the butcher, but otherwise made it as directed. On a charcoal grill, the steaks took about 2 minutes per side. The pork was scrumptious and the combination with rice, lettuce and herbs was even better.
Dan Barwick
I've made this dish seven or eight times - it's wonderful. This dish is that it is further improved by making it into shish kebabs - there is more surface area to grill that way, the marinade has more surface to penetrate, it's easier to portion, and it looks gorgeous on the plate. I cut the meat into approximately 1" cubes, and I don't pack them in on the skewers so the whole surface gets a little char. They're wonderful! (+1 on the other comments in favor of the orange - I think it makes it!)
Bonnie
I didn't have sambal Chile paste so used 1 tablespoon of sriracha instead. I used arugula and herb salad mix from Trader Joe's instead of Boston lettuce, mint and cilantro as directed. This was sooooo good.
Pamela McCormick
Made marinade for pork tenderloin. Very tastySeared in cast iron then cooked at 350 for 25”
marci
Here in rural Montana we are blessed to be able to buy, and have custom-processed, a whole whey-finished organic hog every year. Needless-to-say our family knows great pork!Made this recipe tonight verbatim and I have to say it’s truly the best pork steak I’ve EVER had!!Marinated a few hours in the fridge, then cooked two 3/4” bone-in pork steaks on high on our gas grill. Approximately 3-4 minutes each side to a medium-well finish. OMG, so tender & savory!!Six stars in my book!
Jennifer
1” is not thick. Any thicker and it will take far longer to get to 145. On high heat it jumps from 145 to 160 in seconds/minutes so keep close eye and probably pull before 145.
Elizabeth
Oh, this is a GREAT marinade. I loved this recipe. I will make it again and again.
ellie
This was delicious! I recommend that you make sure the pork “steaks” are consistently 1” thick. Don’t worry if you have little pieces as a result of having a consistent thickness. Those little bits get to be extra charred and yummy! I agree with other posts to use the orange as well as the lime. Also, I didn’t think that the shallot added anything to the flavor of the dish. Finally - it’s a lot easier than it looks at first! Try it!!!
cw
Very good - used farro instead of rice and 2 T goganko instead of Samal. Could have used 3 T.
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