These authentic and flavorful Vietnamese pork chops (suon nuong) are marinated in fragrant and savory ingredients like lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar and honey. Grill them over medium-high heat for picture-perfect grill marks, and nice charred edges. Serve these delicious pork chops over a bed of rice with a variety of fresh and pickled vegetables – and of course, drizzled with nuoc cham for the ultimate dish that will rival any restaurant!
Lemongrass is a quintessential aromatic that you’ll find in a lot of Vietnamese dishes and marinades. It has a refreshing citrusy flavor, with a hint of mint, that brightens up any dish. There are many suon nuong marinade variations, but this version is my favorite since it was inspired by my mom’s recipe.
If you have been to a Vietnamese restaurant you’ll find these lemongrass pork chops paired with a broken rice or a vermicelli dish. Whatever you serve it with, it’ll be delicious!
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Ingredients & notes
Pork chops – I used ¾ inch thick bone-in pork chops. Thinner cuts are great too.
Lemongrass – You can get stalks of lemongrass at most Asian stores or you can find it in the frozen aisle, where they are pre chopped/minced.
Fish sauce – It’s not Vietnamese unless there’s fish sauce! My favorite brands include Red Boat, Son and Three Crabs.
Brown sugar and honey – A combo of these sweeteners give a darker color to the pork and gets you nice grill marks.
Instructions
Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients and mix well.
Pour marinade over the pork and coat well, in a plastic ziploc bag. Squeeze out all the air, zip it up, then marinate overnight.
Grill on medium high heat for 5-6 minutes on each side (for ¾ inch thick chops).
Serve over a bed of rice with vegetables like sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, lettuce and pickled vegetables. Drizzle with nuoc mam cham sauce and enjoy!
Pro tips
- You can also use this lemongrass marinade for delicious grilled chicken.
- For additional aromatics and flavor, brush it with some scallion oil (mo hanh). To make it heat vegetable oil on medium heat and sautee chopped green onions for 1-2 minutes.
- To get those nice, charred grill marks and better caramelization, make sure to preheat your grill to at least 400 Fahrenheit, and shake off the excess marinade before placing the chops on the grill.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to keep pork chops moist is to not overcook them.
Make sure to place them on a grill preheated to at least 400 Fahrenheit, heat set to medium-high, and only turn the pork once.
A ½” thick chop takes about 5 minutes per side to reach medium doneness. A ¾” thick chop takes about 6 minutes per side. And for a 1” thick chop, cook for about 7 to 8 minutes per side.
How can you tell if pork is cooked without a thermometer?
Try the “poke test”: With your left hand, touch your thumb to your middle finger. Using your right hand, touch the meaty part of your thumb – it should feel close to a medium-done chop/steak. Now like the thickest part of your pork chop, if it feels softer, cook for a bit more.
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Suon Ram (Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chops)
Equipment
- grill we have a great Weber grill
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops I used ¾ inch thick bone-in pork chops. Thinner cuts are fine too.
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup lemongrass, chopped
- 1 cup shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the pork chops into a resealable bag.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, sesame oil and salt.
- Pour the marinade over the pork chops in the plastic bag, making sure it evenly coats each piece of meat.
- Seal and place the bag in a large bowl (as the bones may puncture the bag) in the refrigetor overnight.
- To grill, preheat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, on medium high heat. Grill for about 6 minutes on each side (see notes below for grill time for thicker cuts).
Notes
- To get nice charred grill marks and better caramelization, make sure to preheat your grill to at least 400 Fahrenheit, and shake off the excess marinade before placing the chops on the grill. Only turn once.
- A ½” thick chop takes about 5 minutes per side to reach medium doneness. A ¾” thick chop takes about 6 minutes per side. And for a 1” thick chop, cook for about 7 to 8 minutes per side.
- The pork chops should reach at least 145 Fahrenheit in the thickest part, which will be cooked medium.
- You can also use this lemongrass marinade for delicious grilled chicken.