Oven-Roasted Pork Rib Chops (Chalagach)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make oven-roasted pork chalagach? First, gather the marinade ingredients. Which oil is best? You can use olive or sunflower oil, depending on your preference — sunflower gives a milder crust on the meat, olive a slight characteristic bitterness. You can swap the ketchup for tomato paste.

2. Step 2:

   

   How do you make the marinade? In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, olive oil, ketchup, and ground black pepper. I don't add salt, since soy sauce is salty enough.

3. Step 3:

   

   Mix everything well with a spoon, or whisk it with a fork, until the olive oil is fully blended in. Do it carefully so you don't splatter the counter.

4. Step 4:

   

   For chalagach you'll need bone-in pork — specifically, meat on the rib bone. The bone can be long or trimmed short, like mine. Different stores may call this cut a bone-in pork chop, a rib chop, or a bone-in loin chop. So go by appearance: it should be a roughly oval piece of meat partly rimmed by bone. Rinse the pork well and pat it dry with paper towels.

5. Step 5:

   

   Put the bone-in pork in a bowl, pour the soy marinade over it, and spread it all over the meat with a spoon.

6. Step 6:

   

   Let the pork marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. If you marinate for 2 hours, spend one hour in the fridge and the second at room temperature. Same if you leave it overnight — take it out of the fridge an hour before cooking. This lets the meat come up to temperature so it cooks and browns evenly.

7. Step 7:

   

   Heat the skillet until good and hot. There's no need to grease it — the meat is already coated in marinade. A grill pan with a removable handle is ideal if you have one. Add the pork and sear over high heat until browned, about 5 minutes per side (the time depends on your pan). A quick, hot sear locks the juices in so the pork stays juicy. Over low heat, the meat would just release its juices.

8. Step 8:

   

   Transfer the chalagach to a baking dish and brush both sides with the remaining marinade. If your pan has a removable handle, just take the handle off and roast the meat right in the pan. Put the pork under the broiler in an oven preheated to 375°F (190°C) for about 10 minutes. If you can, run the broiler with convection. If your oven has no broiler at all, use the regular bottom heat — the cooking time may be a little longer.

9. Step 9:

   

   The pork chalagach is ready. Serve it with any side dish and sauce — it's especially good with a cherry sauce. Enjoy!