Marinated Pork Strips — The Day Brayden Was Born

Brayden was born Tuesday at three forty-seven AM. Labor started Monday afternoon at three. We checked into the hospital Monday at eight PM. The labor went the way the OB had said it might go — long, slow, then sudden — and Brayden arrived in the early hours of Tuesday morning weighing eight pounds two ounces, twenty inches long, with a strong cry and a head of dark hair. He is healthy. The Apgar scores at one minute and five minutes were both nine, which the OB said was an excellent score range.

Dustin held him first. He cried into Brayden’s blanket for a few seconds without saying anything before he passed Brayden to me. I held Brayden for the first time at four-twelve AM Tuesday in the hospital recovery room. He is the size of a long loaf of bread. His eyes are dark blue. His fingers are perfect. The whole event was the strangest and most ordinary thing I have ever experienced.

Mama flew in Tuesday morning at eight AM Central. She took an Uber from the Nashville airport directly to the hospital and met Brayden at ten. She held him for the first time and didn’t cry. She held him for two hours straight in the recovery room. Cody flew in Wednesday afternoon and met Brayden at the apartment Thursday morning after we’d been discharged. The four of us — me, Dustin, Brayden, plus Mama who is staying for two weeks — were home from the hospital Thursday afternoon at three PM. Cody drove back to the airport Friday morning to fly home; he’ll be back in mid-April for a longer visit.

Sunday I did not cook because I was four days postpartum and could barely walk to the kitchen, but Mama cooked. She made marinated pork strips because she had cooked a freezer-meal version of the same dish during her prep visit in February and the household had been craving the fresh version. The dish is one of those Mama-and-Carol-handed-down-recipes that lives on the easy-weeknight side of the family-cooking spectrum — lean pork loin marinated in a soy-ginger-garlic-brown sugar-rice wine sauce, sliced thin and stir-fried over rice.

The technique: a one-pound pork loin sliced into quarter-inch-thick strips against the grain. The marinade: a quarter-cup of low-sodium soy sauce, a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger, four cloves of garlic minced, three tablespoons of brown sugar, two tablespoons of rice wine (Shaoxing or dry sherry as substitute), a teaspoon of sesame oil, a tablespoon of cornstarch (the cornstarch is the texture move; coats the pork during stir-fry). The pork sliced and tossed in the marinade, refrigerated for an hour.

The stir-fry: a hot wok with two tablespoons of vegetable oil. The marinated pork stir-fried in two batches for three minutes per batch until just cooked through. Out to a plate. In the same wok, one yellow onion in half-moons and one red bell pepper sliced thin sweated for five minutes. The pork returned with the marinade liquid. Stir-fried two minutes until the sauce coats. Off the heat with sliced scallions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Served over jasmine rice. Mama plated me a portion. I ate one-handed at the dining table while Brayden slept on Dustin’s chest in the recliner. The first Sunday with Brayden in the apartment.

Cornstarch in the marinade. Sliced thin against the grain. Stir-fried in two batches. Here’s the build.

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Bring to room temperature. Remove pork from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Discard any remaining marinade.
4. 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.
5. 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