Adobo-Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cane vinegar, preferably Datu Puti brand
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• Two bone-in pork chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick
• Warm cooked sticky rice, for serving

Directions

1. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, water, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan, then bring the mixture to a boil. Take it off the heat and let the marinade come down to room temperature.
2. Put the pork chops into a heavy-duty zipper-lock bag, pour the cooled marinade over them, and close the bag while squeezing out the air. Refrigerate the pork for 8 hours at minimum, or as long as 24 hours.
3. Get 1 chimney full of charcoal going. Once the coals are burning and wearing a gray ash coating, dump them onto the coal grate and spread them evenly across half of it. If you’re cooking with gas instead, turn half the burners to high heat. Put the cooking grate in position, close the grill, and heat it for 5 minutes. Scrub the grate clean and brush it with oil.
4. Set the pork chops over direct heat and grill, turning them now and then, until the outside is deeply browned and the middle reaches 135 degrees F (57 degrees C) for medium, about 10 minutes. If the exterior is getting too dark before the centers are there, slide the chops to the cooler side of the grill so they can finish more gently. Give them 5 minutes to rest, then serve with sticky rice.