This is one of those definitive and original South African braai meals.When braaing pork, neck chops are generally your best bet as they are quite tender, and have some marbling so they won’t dry out too quickly. If you leave them in this curry marinade for a few hours before the braai, it will not only create a great taste but will also make them even more tender and juicy. As with all pork dishes, these chops should be braaied until their internal temperature is 70 °C, so use your meat thermometer to measure that.
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 chilli, 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.
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