Pork Chop Teriyaki, Stir Fried Sesame Snow Peas and Steamed Jasmine Rice

I have not cooked or eaten a pork chop in what must be years, I think.  Honestly, while I love pork roasts, particularly rib eye roasts, I have never been a huge fan of the pork chop.  I have, generally, found them to be a bit dry and a little tough.  However, while wandering through the supermarket yesterday afternoon trying to find something to inspire culinary creativity, I saw these very handsome thick cut pork chops.  They were very reasonably priced at about $4.99 per pound, so I purchased two 1/2 pound chops for $5.00.  

I marinated the pork chops for about 2 hours in a teriyaki sauce which included 1/2 cup soy sauce, a splash of orange juice, a shot of Maker's Mark Bourbon (weird, maybe, but Asian recipes frequently call for Sherry or Rice Wine, neither of which I ever have on hand, but I do have bourbon which also has that creamy quality of sherry, so I gave it a go) a few shakes of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, 2 minced cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.  Then I grilled them over a medium flame for about 6-7 minutes per side.  I reserved 1/2 of the marinade and drizzle some over the pork when it came off the grill.  

The snow peas could not have been simpler to make, but I was really surprised at how crunchy, sweet and delicious they were.  I preheated a saute pan over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of canola oil.  After rinsing and removing the tip and the string on each snow pea, I stir fried them in the hot pan for a minute or two.  I added about 1 tablespoon of the reserved teriyaki marinade and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.  After another 30 seconds in the pan they were finished. 

I served the teriyaki pork chop and sesame snow peas with mound of fluffy Jasmine rice.  A sprinkle of finely chopped green onions was a hit of fresh for a finishing touch.