Churrasco Pork Ramen
Brazilian churrasco is one of the world's great arguments for simplicity. The technique is fire, the seasoning is coarse rock salt, and the philosophy is that if the meat is good, you should stop there and let the grill do the talking. The pork version, especially pork tenderloin or lombo, takes on smoke and char and a slightly sweet exterior that happens naturally when good-quality pork meets high heat. What goes with it in Brazil is vinagrete, which despite the name is not a French vinaigrette but a chunky salsa of tomato, onion, and peppers in vinegar and olive oil, and that salsa is doing a lot of work in this bowl. The broth is built from the drippings and it tastes like the grill in liquid form.
Rock salt on the loin—fire takes it dark and crackling—Brazil in a bowl
Let Me Tell You...
The first time I saw someone cook churrasco I understood immediately why Brazilians gather around the grill the way they do, because the smell is its own social force.
It's the kind of smell that makes strangers stop and look around for the source, and the source is always a man standing over a grill with no apparent urgency, which is the correct relationship to have with fire and meat.
Brazilian churrasco is not a recipe.
It's a pace.
You cook slowly and let the fire decide when things are done.
Cold pork straight from the fridge cooks unevenly and can char before the center is done.
Vinagrete is the condiment that Brazilian grills put on everything, and it's not subtle.
It's equal parts tomato, onion, and bell pepper, dressed in white wine vinegar and olive oil with enough salt to make everything snap.
It's what cuts through the rendered fat of the pork, and it's what makes the bowl feel like more than just meat and noodles.
You want the acidic version of a salsa, something with sharpness, and vinagrete provides exactly that.
The onion softens slightly and the vinegar integrates more smoothly.
The broth here is built from the pork drippings deglazed with white wine and enriched with stock, which sounds fancy but is just using the pan you cooked the pork in and not wasting what's in it.
All the fond at the bottom of a cast iron skillet after searing pork tenderloin is essentially a concentrated flavor deposit, and adding liquid to it is one of the fastest ways to make a broth worth eating.
The smokiness transfers directly.
You don't need to do anything extra to get it.
The drippings lift cleanly in 30 seconds when the liquid hits a hot surface.
The bowl ends up tasting exactly like the churrascaria experience, which is eating meat over fire and feeling like someone made a good decision about how to spend an evening.
That feeling is portable.
It fits in a bowl.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 1.25 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin, cut into 1-inch-thick medallions
- 1 tablespoon coarse rock salt (or flaky sea salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (for deglazing)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- For vinagrete: 1 medium tomato, finely diced; 1/2 small white onion, finely diced; 1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced; 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; fresh parsley to taste
Preparation
- Make the vinagrete: Combine diced tomato, onion, and bell pepper in a bowl. Add white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and parsley. Stir well and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Season pork medallions generously on all sides with coarse rock salt and black pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat until very hot. Add oil. Sear pork medallions for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply browned and cooked through (internal temp 145F). Transfer to a plate to rest.
- With skillet still on high heat, pour in white wine and scrape up all browned bits from the bottom. Add smashed garlic and rosemary. Cook 2 minutes until wine reduces by half.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes until broth is flavorful. Season with salt. Remove garlic and rosemary.
- Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and divide between bowls.
- Ladle broth over noodles. Slice rested pork medallions and arrange on top. Spoon vinagrete generously across the pork and serve immediately.