Pork Chops and Herbs

First, herbs and spices that go well with pork. Just about everything, actually! Think of all the different cuisines that use pork, and the different seasonings that each uses. Chinese. Mexican. German. Italian. Thai. French. English. And many more. They have each found a way to use their traditional seasonings with pork.

Here’s a partial list that I combined from half a dozen web sites. Basil, bay leaf, caraway seeds, chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder, dill, fennel, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, lemon grass, lemon juice, lime juice, mint, mustard, onions, orange juice, oregano, paprika, parsley, pepper, pickle juice, rosemary, sage, savory, shallots, soy sauce, star anise, thyme, turmeric, and Worcestershire sauce. The ones that were mentioned most often were cinnamon, cloves, cumin, fennel, garlic (I think everyone mentioned garlic), ginger, rosemary, sage, shallots, soy sauce, and thyme. And salt and pepper, of course.

So what do you do with this list? Well, the next time you make plain old pork chops, try adding a different herb. Maybe marinate them first in a mixture of juice (lemon, lime or orange) and an herb or two. Some combinations you might not have thought of include:

Soy sauce, ginger, garlic, with or without some orange juice

Apple juice, cinnamon and cloves

Chipotle peppers, cumin and tomatoes

Mustard, caraway seeds and sauerkraut

Chili peppers, cilantro, garlic, lime and peanuts

Lemon and/or lime and/or orange juice with garlic

Apple juice, shallots, garlic, ginger and soy sauce

Lemongrass, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, shallots and lime juice