Mustard-Soy Pork Chops

The high-protein diet craze has come too late for the poor porker. Between the lard-loving years before World War II and Dr. Atkins, there has been a conscientious attempt to remove all fat from pork. If we had only known that Atkins could have saved us from the ultralean pig.

Note: Buy chops at least 1 inch thick. Buy boneless chops, or bone the ones you have. The bone causes the meat to heat unevenly, so that the outside edges will be done long before the meat attached to the bone.
4 boneless pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick (about 5 ounces each)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar-substitute
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon soy sauce

If you have time to marinate this during the day or overnight, do it!

1. Combine mustard, paprika, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and soy sauce in zip-top plastic bag or wide pan.
2. Shake or stir to dissolve salt and sugar.
3. Add the pork. (If using a pan, coat the chops on one side, then turn them over.
4. You can chill these chops in the marinade overnight or all day, if desired; try to turn the chops once or twice if they're in a pan.
5. If you're pressed for time, allow them to sit in the marinade 10 minutes or so, and begin heating the broiler.
6. Move the oven shelf to about 4 inches from the broiler.
7. Heat broiler to high.
8. Put the chops on a rack over a pan.
9. Broil 4 minutes.
10. The pork chops should have some dark brown edges; if they don't, cook them another minute. (If the broiler hasn't been preheated, they'll take a little longer to cook.)
11. Turn them, drizzle with marinade and broil 4 minutes more, or until cooked through.
12. Serve with rice or noodles and a salad of sliced cucumbers and green onions dressed with sour cream (low-fat sour cream works).

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