Butaniku No Misozuke

Excluding poultry, pork is the most popular meat in Japan, far more so than beef. Lamb, goat and other meats are relatively unknown in Japan except as imports. Pork even has a reputation for being quite healthy, since it contains the B-family of vitamins as well as plenty of collagen (which is supposed to keep your skin looking young.) The further south you go, the more popular pork is, especially in Okinawan cuisine which features pork very prominently.

Ingredients

1. 2 thinly cut boneless pork cutlets, each about 100g / 3 oz
2. 3 Tbs. white miso
3. 3 Tbs. cup red miso
4. 1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
5. 2 Tbs. sake or sweet sherry (see the role of alcohol, ginger etc. in Japanese meat dishes)
6. 1 Tbs. sugar

Directions

1. If your pork cutlets are too thick (they should be about 5mm / about 1/5th of an inch thick), pound them out a bit with the side of a heavy knife or a meat tenderizer until they are thin enough.
2. Put all the ingredients except for the pork in a plastic bag and mix the ingredients together by massaging the bag with your hands.
3. Add the pork cutlets in the bag, and seal the bag, expelling as much air as possible.
4. Place the sealed bag in the refrigerator and allow the meat to marinate for at least 4-8 hours. Be careful not marinate the meat for more than 24 hours, as the salt in the miso will draw out the moisture of the pork making it very dry.
5. When you are ready to cook the pork, oil a medium skillet over medium heat. Remove the marinated pork from the bag and remove as much excess marinade as possible to keep it from burning.
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes or so on each side watching the meat to ensure that it doesn’t burn (the miso on the surface may turn a bit black, but that’s ok.) When done, it should be cooked through but still juicy, and the surface should be a dark amber.

Notes