By Brayden Turner was born Saturday September eighteenth, 2021, at four forty-seven in the morning at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa. Seven pounds three ounces. Twenty inches long. Healthy in every way the doctors measured. The labor had started Friday afternoon at three. Dustin drove me to the hospital at six in the evening. Mama and Cody and Aunt Tammy met us in the waiting room. Brayden arrived eleven hours later.
I am writing this in pen on the day after we came home from the hospital. He is asleep in the bassinet next to the bed. The household has five people in it. The kitchen has a new cook one day from now whose first food is going to be the food I make for him.
The recipe is marinated pork strips — the recipe Mama made at the hospital and brought to me in a Tupperware on Sunday afternoon, the same recipe she had made for me on the day I came home from being born twenty years ago. Pork tenderloin sliced into strips, marinated in soy, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, baked. Served over rice.
The recipe is below.
Marinated Pork Strips
Prep Time: 15 minutes + 2 hours marinating | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork loin or tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch strips
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a large bowl or zip-top bag, whisk together soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, black pepper, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and apple cider vinegar until the sugar dissolves.
- Marinate the pork. Add pork strips to the marinade, turning to coat evenly. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for deeper flavor.
- Bring to room temperature. Remove pork from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Discard any remaining marinade.
- Cook the strips. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook pork strips in a single layer, 3—4 minutes per side, until cooked through and caramelized at the edges. Internal temperature should reach 145°F.
- Rest and serve. Transfer strips to a plate and let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve alongside biscuits, coleslaw, or baked beans.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 520mg