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Pork Recipes
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INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup orange juice
- peeled rind of 1 orange (solid peel, not grated or zested)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tot chopped fresh ginger
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 kg pork belly (ask your butcher for one with a relatively thin layer of fat)
- 1 baby cabbage, shredded
- 2 carrots, grated
- 250 ml French style mayonnaise
METHOD
- Score the fat of the pork belly. This means you must use a sharp knife to cut a crisscross pattern into the outer layer of fat.
- In our potjie, throw in all the ingredients except the meat. Stir well to dissolve the sugar slightly.
- Now add the pork belly fat side up, and spoon some of the marinade over the top. The liquid should come up the sides but not completely cover the top of the meat.
- Cover the potjie with the lid and let this potjie simmer on low heat for 2 hours. You want the heat to be around 150’. Half-way during the cooking process you can open the lid of the potjie to spoon more of the sauce onto the meat.
- Remove the meat from the potjie once the meat is soft and cooked. Put the meat on a wooden cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes. Leave the potjie on the fire so that the sauce can reduce.
- Slice the meat into 2 cm-thick slices and place into your hinged grid. Now braai these belly pieces over hot coals until nice and crispy.
- Build your burger by placing a nice portion of mayonnaise on the bottom bun, followed by the pork belly. Top the belly with your cabbage and carrot slaw. And finally drizzle the reduced sauce over.
INGREDIENTS
- 12 pork neck chops
- 2 tots oil
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tot fresh ginger (crushed or finely grated)
- 1 tot curry powder (if, like me, you like a bit of burn, use medium or hot curry powder, but, if your tongue is easily offended by a chili, use mild curry powder)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 cup brown vinegar
- 1 cup smooth apricot jam
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
METHOD
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over high heat, then add the onion. Fry until the onion becomes soft and shiny, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for another 2 minutes. You can prepare the marinade on a stove or fire as you see fit.
- The curry powder and turmeric go in next. Fry for 1 minute, stirring well.
- Add the vinegar and apricot jam, then bring to the boil. Scrape the bottom to loosen any sticky bits. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper and stir well. Take the marinade off the heat and let cool for an hour or two until the marinade is at room temperature.
- Pour the curry marinade over the pork neck chops, which you should have in a marinating bowl. Mix it in and make sure that the marinade is in contact with all parts of the meat. Cover and marinate for 3–4 hours (if it is very hot outside, marinate in the fridge).
- Take the chops out of the marinade and shake off any excess sauce. Braai over a hot fire for about 5–7 minutes a side, depending on the size of the chops. Use your meat thermometer to check that they’re ready.
INGREDIENTS
- 1,5kg pork spareribs, washed and trimmed
- 125ml soy sauce
- 25ml honey
- 15ml sherry
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
METHOD
- Place the spareribs in a shallow baking dish.
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the ribs. (If you need more marinade, increase all the ingredients).
- Marinate for 2 hours, turning once.
- Drain, reserving the marinade.
- Braai the spareribs over moderate coals for about 25-30 minutes, turning and basting often with marinade.
- When they are 80% done, you can (but dont have to) cut them and throw them back with the remaining marinade and toss them around in the bowl. Return to grid and finish the braai. The sauce will then also cover their exposed sides, as shown on the photo.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 bone-in pork rib chops (ask your butcher to cut them about 2.5 – 3cm thick)
- Mixture of salt, pepper and herbs (you can use anything you prefer, but oregano and rosemary will make a good combination
- 2 lemons
- 2 tots cup honey
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped and crushed)
- 2 tots olive oil
METHOD
- Score the fat along edges of pork chops, this helps them stay flat as they are on the braai.
- Season and rub the pork chops all over with salt, pepper and herbs and let this rest in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours.
- Before you braai the chops, mix the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, and garlic together and baste the chops with this sauce.
- Braai the pork chops over medium heat coals, turning them often and placing them on all sides of the pork chop so it gets enough time on the coals.
- After about 15 minutes, use your meat thermometer and check the temperature, the internal temperature should be around 70”C for the chops to be cooked, but still soft and juicy on the inside.
- Let the pork chops rest for 5 – 10 minutes before serving with extra lemon wedges.
Ingredients
| 1 tbsp | Parsley, fresh (chopped) |
| 1 tbsp | Oregano, fresh (chopped) |
| 1 tbsp | Sage, fresh (chopped) |
| 1 tbsp | Thyme, fresh (chopped) |
| 2 chop (151 g) | Pork chop, loin centre cut, bone-in, lean (room temperature) |
| 2 tsp | Coconut oil (or Brain Octane Oil) |
| 1 1/2 tbsp | Butter, grass fed, unsalted |
| 454 gm | Dandelion greens (trimmed, washed, & roughly chopped) |
| 1 tsp | Sea Salt (to taste) |
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine herbs and 1 tsp sea salt. Coat both sides of the pork chops with the herb/salt mixture.
- Heat a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the coconut oil/Brain Octane and the chops. Cook until the chops are golden, 4 to 5 minutes each side.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, tossing the chops to coat. Plate the chops and put them aside.
- Put the pan back on the heat and add dandelion greens, cooking in butter and drippings without turning, for 2 minutes.
- Top the pork chops with the dandelion greens, drizzle with pan drippings, and serve.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Black pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 ¾-inch thick boneless pork shoulder steaks
Preparation
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, honey and lime juice until the honey is dissolved. Pour it into a food storage bag and add in pepper and garlic, reserving ¼ cup of the marinade for basting. Add the pork steaks to the marinade and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium high heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade and place on the grill. Grill for 2 minutes, flip the steaks, baste the steaks with reserved marinade and repeat until they've grilled for 10 minutes total. Remove from grill and let the steaks rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
1 kg pork — loin
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 ml vegetable oil
85 g butter — unsalted
3 garlic — cloves, minced
30 ml Worcestershire sauce
5 ml mustard — powder
5 ml dried oregano
5 ml dried thyme
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C.
1 Pat dry the pork loin.
Season with salt and pepper.
2 Heat a large oven-safe pan over
medium-high heat.
Add the oil and heat for about 1 minute,
add the pork and sear it on all sides until a crust forms, about 1 minute per
side.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
3 Turn off the heat and remove the pan from
the stove.
In the same hot pan, add the butter, garlic,
Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.
Stir the sauce until the butter is melted.
4 Coat the pork with the dried herbs by
patting the herbs on to the loin.
Place the loin back in the pan and spoon
some sauce over.
5 Cover the loin with foil and roast in the
oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil, spoon more sauce over the
pork and cook for another 30 minutes or until the temperature reaches about 68°C
when poked in the center with a meat thermometer.
6 Remove the pork from the oven, cover it
with foil and let it rest for about 10-12 minutes.
Slice thin and serve hot.
INGREDIENTS
-
1 kg pork belly
-
15 g fennel seeds
-
5 g sea salt
-
100 ml olive oil
-
2 carrots
-
2 sticks of celery
-
2 onions
-
2 cloves garlic with the skin on
-
fresh thyme leaves
-
1 bottle good white wine
-
75 g plain flour
METHOD
- Turn the oven to the highest temperature.
- Using a very sharp knife score the skin down to the meat, make sure not to cut too close to the meat. Score across so that it is in small blocks.
- Put the fennel and salt in a pestle and mortar and grind until the seeds are smashed and mixed well with the salt.
- Pour the oil over the skin of the pork and sprinkle the fennel and salt and rub it in well so that it gets in between the squares.
- Wash the carrots and celery and cut into medium pieces and place these into the base of the roasting dish.
- Place in the whole garlic cloves, peel and cut the onions into large wedges and toss in with the whole thyme leaves.
- Put the seasoned pork belly on top of the vegetables and then put into your very hot oven for 10 – 15 minutes until the skin of the belly starts to bubble and is golden brown.
- Lower the temperature to 170°C, then roast for 1½ hours.
- Carefully open the oven door and add into the tray ¾ of the white wine. Continue to cook for 1 hour.
- When the meat pulls apart it is ready. If not let it cook until ready.
- Remove from the oven and place the belly carefully on a wooden board. Allow it to rest.
- Put the roasting tray directly on your stove on a medium heat plate. Add the flour and wine and stir until thickened. If the sauce is too thick add more white wine.
- Mash the vegetables until it looks like a delicious thick looking sauce. If you prefer, you can strain the sauce or pour it as it is over the roasted belly.
INGREDIENTS
50 g flour
1 t salt
4 pork loin chops
1 free-range egg, beaten
2 T water
100 g breadcrumbs, toasted
1 T coriander, finely chopped
2 T olive oil
For the kimchi:
250 g red cabbage, finely sliced
250 g green cabbage, finely sliced
1/2 t salt
1 t sugar
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 T ginger, grated
2 red chilies, chopped
3 T rice vinegar
2 t fish sauce
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Mix the flour and salt and dust the pork chops. Mix the egg and water and dip the chops into the mixture. Mix the breadcrumbs and coriander, then use to coat the chops.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the crumbed pork chops for 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Finish in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve with the kimchi.
To make the kimchi, toss the cabbage with the salt and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Drain any excess liquid. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
Ingredients
500ml (2 cups) hot water
2 pork rib racks
Spiced barbecue glaze
½ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup brown treacle sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Method:
To make the glaze, stir tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown treacle sugar, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, dried oregano leaves and ground cumin in a saucepan over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.
Combine the water and 2 tablespoons of the glaze in a roasting pan. Add ribs. Cover with foil. Bake at 180°C, turning once, for 2 hours or until tender. Brush the ribs with the remaining glaze.
Braai the ribs on medium coals for 4-5 minutes each side or until caramelized and slightly charred.
Pork & Dry Rub
2 kg pork belly, boneless and skinless
2 Tbsp (30 ml) brown sugar
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sea salt
1 Tbsp (15 ml) smoked paprika
1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) black pepper
BBQ Sauce
a splash of oil for frying
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
¾ C (180 ml) fruit mince
½ C (125 ml) tomato sauce
¼ C (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 tsp (10 ml) mixed spice
Equipment
a kettle braai
charcoal
drip tray, half filled with water
2 big handfuls of smoking chips, soaked in water
To Serve
3 limes, halved and charred on the grid
3 chives, finely chopped
Pork & Dry Rub
For the dry rub, add the brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin and black pepper to a bowl and mix well to combine.
For the barbecue sauce, set a medium sized pot over medium-high heat. Heat a splash of oil, then fry the onions until they soften and begin to brown. Add the garlic and fry for another minute until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender. If your sauce is a little too thick, loosen it with a splash of hot water.
Slice the pork belly into thick rashers about 2.5-3 cm, as they will shrink slightly as they cook. Season the rashers well with the dry rub and set aside.
The fire setup for smoking on a kettle braai is called a two-zone indirect fire. It means that the coals are on one side of the braai and the drip tray is on the other side. The meat will go above the drip tray and cook via indirect heat or radiant heat when the lid is on. The smoking chips are placed on the coals during the cooking and the smoke will flow over the meat, imparting flavor.
You don’t need a massive fire for this method of cooking because with the lid on the coal burns slower as you are limiting the oxygen supply. Just make sure that the bottom vents are open and that the vents on the lid are open and placed above the pork, so that the smoke will draw out over it. You will need to check the coals every now and then to top up if needed and to add more smoking chips.
When the coals are grey and glowing, add the first handful of soaked chips. Place the grill back on and arrange the rashers over the drip tray. Close the lid and let the smoke work its magic. Check the fire and chips every 30 minutes but do this quickly so that you don’t lower the temperature too much. At the 1-hour mark, add a handful of charcoal if the fire is running low.
At the 1 ½ hour mark check the rashers by pinching with your fingers. If they still feel a little tight, give them another 20 minutes. Once they feel tender, remove from the heat and wrap in foil or put into a braai container.
Scrape the coals across to create a bed and add a little more if needed to do the final caramelization of the rashers. Brush the rashers with festive fruit mince barbecue sauce and return them to the heat. Cook for another 5-7 minutes while flipping and basting to create a charry, caramelized crust.
Remove from the heat and let the rashers rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve with charred limes for squeezing over (excellent to cut through the richness) and a sprinkling of chopped chives.
INGREDIENTS
2.5 – 3 kg pork shoulder joint, boned,
tied & skin scored
1- 2 tablespoons salt
Handful of fresh sage leaves
Sauce:
400g Granny Smith apples
25g piece of root ginger
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
40g sugar
Zest ½ lemon
Pinch dried chili flakes, optional.
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan/Gas Mark 8.
Rub the salt well into the skin and underside of the joint, lay the sage leaves in the roasting tin and place the meat on top. Cook in the very hot oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low, 150°C/130°C fan/Gas
Mark 2. Remove from the oven and cover the tin with thick aluminum foil, then return to the oven and cook for 4½ – 5 hours until the meat is very tender.
Transfer the pork to a warmed serving dish to rest. Pour the cooking juices into a container, discard the fat and reserve the juices. To crisp the crackling, remove the skin from the joint and place it back into the empty
roasting tin. Increase the oven temperature back to 230°C/210°C fan/Gas Mark 8 and cook for 30 minutes.
To make the sauce. Peel, core and dice the apples then peel and chop the ginger, place both in a saucepan with the water, balsamic vinegar, sugar, lemon zest and chili. Put on the lid. Stir occasionally and cook until the apples have softened and broken down. Spoon the sauce into a serving bowl.
Serve the meat thickly sliced with the crackling and apple sauce as a traditional roast with gravy made from the juices or alternatively shred the meat and serve in soft rolls with a drizzle of the juices, the apple sauce and the crackling on the side.
Thank you to our clients Gary and Laurel Mc Birnie for the delicious tried and tested recipe and beautiful photo.
INGREDIENTS
Leftover meat from Christmas Day:
I used an 80% gammon and 20% roast chicken mix
Add in some of the fatty, rind and crunchy bits
Leftover veggies:
I repurposed my carrot batons and green beans
Leftover gravy
Chicken stock cube
500ml water
a tsp or 2 of cornstarch diluted with a little water
Handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
Handful fresh thyme, torn from stems
Salt and pepper
Ready-rolled puff pastry, defrosted thoroughly
1 egg
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180oC.
Cut the gammon, chicken and veggies into ±1cm cubes.
Add the leftover gravy, chicken stock cube and water into a large pot.
Stir will bringing to the boil then check consistency – you’re looking for a slightly thick gravy texture so add cornstarch a little at a time until you get there.
Don’t get too stressed about this though – you can always add a bit more later if you need to.
Make sure you have enough for the other ingredients to be well-covered once done.
Add the gammon and chicken and cook through, then add the veggies and do the same.
Remove from heat and add the fresh herbs.
Check flavouring and add salt or pepper if needed.
Place mixture into a suitable pie dish (I prefer one with a bit of a rim so that I get extra pastry wrapping over the edges).
Beat the egg and brush the rim of the pie dish.
Unwrap and unroll the puff pastry to cover the whole dish (plus some overhangs for deliciousness).
Trim generously around the pie dish and use a fork to press the edges down to create a pretty scallop.
Brush the whole pie, including overhangs, with beaten egg.
Cut some of the leftover puff pastry into leaf (or flower or festive) shapes and decorate the top of your pie. Brush with more beaten egg.
Put the pie dish into the preheated oven for around half an hour.
You’re just looking for the crust to be lovely and crispy because your ingredients are already cooked through.
Remove from the oven and serve with a green leafy salad.
A big thank you to our clients Laurel and Gary Mc Birnie for the delicious tried and tested recipe and beautiful photo.
INGREDIENTS
1 or 2 racks of uncooked pork spare ribs (Karoo Braai
Meat’s are meaty and juicy)
FOR THE RUB
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
5 tsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
FOR THE GLAZE
±150ml ketchup
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
±200ml honey
5 tbsp whiskey (I used Jamesons’)
2 tbsp fruit chutney
1 tbsp sweet and sour sauce
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Nando’s Hot Peri)
salt to taste
METHOD
Preheat oven to 150°C.
In a small bowl, mix the spices for the rub. Cover the ribs with the rub so they’re coated all over.
Place the ribs on a baking tray, cover the pan with foil and bake for 2 to 21⁄2 hours or until tender.
Meanwhile, to make the glaze, add all the ingredients to a saucepan, stir well and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 5 mins until thickened and sticky, taste for seasoning, and add salt to taste, then remove from the heat and set aside until needed.
When the ribs are done, remove from the oven, cool a little and then cover in the sticky glaze, making sure to turn over and get it onto all edges as well.
Cover with tin foil again and set aside for an hour or two for the glaze to get into the meat.
When you add the ribs to the braai, you’re only looking to caramelise and char the glaze so don’t place them over the hottest part of the braai.
BAKING IN THE OVEN
When the ribs are done, remove from the oven and increase the heat to 200°C.
Using a pastry brush, coat each side of the ribs and place back in the oven to cook for 10 mins.
Remove from the oven, coat again, turn over and return to the oven for another 10-12 minutes until sticky.
Serve hot.
I served with baked potatoes and a green leafy salad.
