Two pork and lettuce cups on a wood cutting board.

Grilled Pork Lettuce Cups with Cola-Pickled Onions

Name: Grilled Pork Lettuce Cups with Cola-Pickled Onions
Prep time: 7 h
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4 Servings
Cuisine: Pork
Ingredients: 2 pounds boneless country style pork ribs; 6 tablespoons gochujang (Korean fermented red chile paste); 4 cloves garlic; 1 3/4 inches fresh ginger root (piece, peeled and sliced); 3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 16 butter lettuce leaves (from about 2 heads); 1 1/2 cups cola (1 12-ounce can or bottle); 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce; 1/2 cup cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 2 red onions (halved and sliced lengthwise)

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Pork Checkoff

Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 6 - 7 hours
Cook Time: 10 - 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless country style pork ribs
6 tbsp gochujang (Korean fermented red chile paste)
4 cloves garlic
1 3/4 inches fresh ginger root (piece, peeled and sliced)
3 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
16 butter lettuce leaves (from about 2 heads)
1 1/2 cups cola (1 12-ounce can or bottle)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 red onions (halved and sliced lengthwise)

Directions:

For the pork: In a blender, combine red chile paste, garlic, ginger, mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil then proceed to puree. Place pork in a resealable bag, add pureed marinade, and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
Meanwhile, make the pickles: In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine cola, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to avoid boiling over, until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in vinegar and lime juice. Place onions in a medium bowl and stir in cola mixture. Set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally (if pickling longer, set mixture aside in the refrigerator).
Prepare a grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grate. Remove pork from marinade (discard marinade) and grill until the internal temperature is 145°F (medium rare) to 160°F (medium), 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove pork from the grill and let rest for 3 minutes.
To serve, thinly slice pork, arrange on lettuce leaves, and top with loosely drained pickled onions. Alternately, you can serve pork, lettuce, and onions on a platter and let guests create their own lettuce cups.