Whether it’s a weeknight dinner, comfort food or movie snack, the ever humble pork chop will fill you up in all the best ways.  

Jerk grilled pork chops 

Serves 4 (As a snack) 

Marinated in a classic Jamaican jerk spice, these pork chops are fabulous with a side of rice or braaied garlic bread.  

Ingredients

For the jerk seasoning  

1 Tbsp onion powder 
1 Tbsp garlic powder 
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dried thyme 
2 tsp dried parsley 
2 tsp salt 
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp each ground cumin, nutmeg and cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar 

For the pork  

4 (about 1kg) pork loin chops
¼ cup canola oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp lime juice 
1 Tbsp white vinegar 
1 tsp minced ginger 
2 jalapeno or serrano chillies, sliced  

For the salsa  

1 avocado, finely cubed 
½ mango, finely cubed
½ small red onion, finely chopped 
½ tsp ground cumin
10g coriander, chopped 
1 lime, zested and juiced 
4 spring onions, finely chopped 
2 jalapeno chillies, coarsely chopped  

Method

1. Combine jerk spice ingredients in a bowl. 
2. Pat pork dry, drizzle with half the oil and 2 Tbsp of the jerk seasoning. Massage remaining ingredients, except jalapenos, into chops. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. 
3. Combine salsa ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
4. Remove pork from marinade, discarding excess liquid.
5. Heat a griddle pan or place a braai grid over hot coals.
6. Grill or braai chops for 5-6 minutes a side, turning often until charred and cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes. 
7. Serve chops topped with salsa. 

Also read: Pork & prawn wontons recipe

Fried smoked paprika pork bites  

Serves 4 (As a snack)  

Bring the pub grub home with these cubes of crispiness. 

Ingredients

4 (700-800g) boneless pork chops 
4 potatoes, peeled
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
¼ cup cornflour 
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp fine salt 
1 tsp white pepper oil, for deep frying 
Deep-fried jalapeno slices, for serving  

For the chilli-lime salt 

¼ jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
2 limes, zested
2 Tbsp Maldon salt  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 
2. Cut potatoes into thin, even fries. Arrange on a baking tray, cook until dried out, about 20 minutes. 
3. Pat pork dry using paper towel. Slice into 3cm cubes. 
4. Combine paprika, cornflour and garlic powder. 
5. Coat pork in oil, salt and pepper, then toss through half of the cornflour mixture. Set aside. 
6. Combine chilli-lime salt ingredients. 
7. Heat a pot of oil and deep-fry chips in batches until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle immediately with chilli-lime salt and keep warm.
8. Toss pork in remaining cornflour mixture. 9. Deep-fry in batches for 4-5 minutes until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. 
9. Arrange pork and chips on a platter and serve with deep-fried jalapeno slices for a pop of heat. 

Tonkatsu pork chops  

Serves 4  

Tonkatsu is a Japanese barbecue sauce made even more delicious when paired with the double-crumbed pork! 

Ingredients

4 (700-800g) boneless pork sirloin chops 
Salt and milled pepper 
1 cup flour 
5 eggs, whisked 
3 cups panko breadcrumbs (regular breadcrumbs work too)  

For the tonkatsu sauce 

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 
2 Tbsp brown sugar 
2 Tbsp oyster sauce 
5 Tbsp tomato sauce  

For serving  

¼ cup finely shredded green cabbage
¼ cup finely shredded purple cabbage 
Lemon wedges
Pickled red onion
4 tsp of each black and white sesame seeds, toasted  

Method

1. Pat pork dry using paper towel. Season. 
2. Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls.
3. Coat a chop in flour, dip in egg, then coat in panko breadcrumbs. Repeat to create second coating.
4. Repeat with remaining three chops.
5. Heat oil in a deep pan for shallow frying.
6. Fry chops one or two at a time, careful not to overcrowd the pan, for about 4-5 minutes a side or until cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper. 
7. Stir tonkatsu ingredients in a pot over medium-high heat until almost simmering, then remove and decant into a condiment bowl. 
8. Arrange chops on a platter with sides of cabbage, tonkatsu sauce, lemon and onion. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds. 

Good to know
Double crumbing the chops creates a well-structured outer layer, but is not essential. If crumbing only once, use 2 cups of panko and 3 eggs instead. 

Pan-fried brown butter chops  

Serves 4  

Brining the pork ensures it holds onto as much tenderness as possible, decreasing the risk of drying out. Repeated flipping also keeps moisture in. 

Ingredients

For the chops in brine  

4 (1kg) bone-in pork rib chops
3 cups water
½ cup brown sugar 
½ cup coarse salt 
7 cloves garlic 
1 tsp black peppercorns 
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked  

For the mashed potato 

4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 Tbsp butter 
¼ cup milk 
1 tsp salt 
3 Tbsp canola oil 
Milled pepper 
4 baby onions, halved 
3 Tbsp butter 
3 sprigs thyme 
3 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs sage  

Method

1. Prick pork chops with a fork. 
2. Combine remaining brine ingredients in a pot over high heat and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. 
3. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup cold water. Decant into a large container. Set aside to cool completely.
4. Submerge chops in liquid, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight for best flavour. 
5. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted, boiling water and cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
6. Return potatoes to the pot and add butter and milk. Mash mixture until smooth. Season with salt. 
7. Remove chops from the brine and pat dry with kitchen paper. Set aside for 15 minutes to come to room temperature. 
8. Heat a cast-iron pan on high heat. Drizzle steaks liberally with oil and pepper. 
9. Add steaks to the hot pan and cook for 10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes until they reach a deep caramel colour all over. 
10. Halfway through cooking chops, add the onions to the pan. 
11. About 1 minute before the pork is done, add butter and fresh herbs to the pan. Swirl around pan or use a spoon to coat the pork in bubbling butter as it finishes cooking. 
12. Remove pork and rest, covered, for 5 minutes. 
13. Slice and serve with mash and charred onions. 

Recipes & styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography by: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Pork belly bahn mi recipe

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