Thai grilled pork jowl with a thick sweet tamarind dipping sauce

Trim the pork jowl, leaving more fat on for fattier grilled pork.

Grind the white peppercorns fine on their own, before any herbs.

Add the garlic, sliced lemongrass and cilantro stems or roots and pound to a fine paste.

Add the palm sugar and pound until it dissolves.

Transfer to a bowl; add oyster sauce, soy sauce and coconut milk and stir well.

Coat the pork in the marinade; marinate a day ahead, or at least a couple of hours.

For the dipping sauce, melt palm sugar in a small pot with tamarind and a splash of water until dissolved.

Cook about a minute longer to thicken. Off the heat, stir in finely diced shallots to wilt in the residual heat.

Add fish sauce and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Add Thai roasted chili flakes, toasted rice powder and lime juice to taste; toasted rice powder is better added at the last minute so it does not absorb too much liquid.

Stir in fresh cilantro just before serving.

Heat the grill on high and oil it (or use the oven broiler). Grill the pork with the lid open for a few minutes, to almost medium, not well done.

Trim off any edges that curled up from shrinking connective tissue; they will be chewy.

Rest the meat 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

Slice thin against the grain, cutting at an angle.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with the dipping sauce and sticky rice.