Last week, summer came on with a vengeance here in the Pacific Northwest. This caused me to plan my meals with as little cooking as possible, relegating as much as I could to the grill. When I was shopping for shrimp for my grilled paella (and enjoying some free AC), I spotted boneless pork sirloin chops on sale. I decided to piggyback on the charcoal I was already using to cook dinner for a few more nights. I threw a stalk of lemongrass, some ginger, and a bunch of cilantro into my basket and headed home to start the grill, excited at what the result would be.

I marinated the chops for about an hour in a spicy, fragrant mix of ginger, lemongrass, garlic and Sambal, rounded out by some soy sauce, agave, and lemon juice for acidity. Once the chops were charred to juicy perfection, I let them rest. Then I reduced the marinade down to a thick and flavorful glaze, cut the pork into chunks, and combined the two. Piled high with fresh, bright cilantro and crisp red onion in a grilled corn tortilla, it was an East-meets-West bite of heaven. And the leftovers were absolutely delightful cold, wrapped in cool butter lettuce and mixed with diced radish, red onion, and, yes, more cilantro. The ideal summer dish! — Megan B. Get the full recipe after the jump!

Megan’s Asian Pork Tacos
serves at least 6 with ample leftovers

2 lbs boneless pork (loin or sirloin), cut into 1-inch-thick chops
1 stalk of lemongrass
1 1/2 inch finger of ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs Sambal chili paste
3 lemons, juiced (equal to approx 1/2 c juice)
1/4 c soy sauce (reduced sodium, preferably)
3 tbs agave nectar (or honey)
2 tsp black pepper
1 large handful of cilantro leaves, rough chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
corn tortillas

Smash lemongrass stalk with the back of a knife to soften and remove outer rough skin. Mince the white part of the stalk only. Add to ginger, garlic, and liquid ingredients in a large zip-locking plastic bag. Add pork and marinade for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat your grill to high heat. Grill pork over high heat, about five minutes per side, until the internal temperature reads 155F. Transfer to a plate and let rest for at least fives minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer remaining marinade to a wide saucepan. Reduce over high heat until sauce is thick and glossy, around 10 minutes.

Cube pork into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. Toss pork cubes with reduced marinade and spoon into grilled tortillas. Garnish with plenty of onion and cilantro.

For lettuce wraps, mix cooled pork and sauce with 1/2 red onion diced, 6 chopped radishes, and more fresh cilantro. Serve with butter lettuce.