Pork Loin Chop Marinade, Old South African
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Serves:
-
4-8
ingredients
- 1 cup dried apricot, loosely thrown in, not pressed into the cup
- 3 large onions or 4 small onions, sliced into thin rings
- 2 cups vinegar, which can be 1 cup wine and 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 12 well-bruised lemon leaves or 6 slices lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon fresh mild curry powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon spices, such as cardamom, cumin, anise and peppercorns or 1 tablespoon genuine fresh masala
directions
- Boil the apricots in water until soft. Enough water should be in the pot to allow you to pureé the apricots in a blender when soft.
- At the same time, boil the onions in the vinegar until tender.
- In the meantime, crush and mix together the spices mentioned, plus the sugar. Exact spices or quantities are not that important.
- The apricots cook quickly. Mash or pureé them, add to the boiling onion mixture, then add the spice-sugar mixture.
- Cool mixture to room temperature. Do not worry about the extreme sourness of the mixture -- you are not going to eat it!
- This is enough to marinate 8 - 12 loin chops, depending on size and thickness. I prefer fairly thick chops.
- Use a glass, ceramic or porcelain dish, and ladle some of the mixture into the bottom and spread it all over. If your mixture is very thick, add a little water, but it must be fairly thick and not watery!
- Pack in a layer of chops tightly together. Layer over more marinade, and add the rest of the chops. Top with the last of the marinade.
- How you do it, will depend on the size of your container and number of chops. Make sure all chops are in contact with the marinade.
- Cover with plastic film and keep in the fridge. It's a good idea to turn and re-pack them once, to make sure every bit is marinated.
- You can safely marinate them for at least 3 days and up to 7, 8 days in the fridge. They only get better!
- To use: Scrape off the marinade with a spatula, and discard. You don't have to scrape them frantically, just get rid of most of the marinade.
- It's by far the best to grill them over coals or charcoal. Don't overcook! Only use salt after grilling.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
This is by far, the BEST explaination of a recipe I have ever seen. You have taken the art of cookery to a level rarely seen before. You made so much more of this than we ordinarily see, and I think, this alone, deserves recognition. Thank you. I am going to make this now, out of respect for the fine thoughtfulness and awareness that went into it. I am assembling the ingredients even now. Fragile Thunder
-
My indoor grilled died this evening and I was forced to cook these in a cast iron skillet. I prepared mine in a resealable bag and after 4 days the chops were incredibly tender and had a wonderful, subtle flavor. I went a little soft on the spices but now realize that that was unneccesary. On a lark, I tossed a chicken breast into the bag. Will let you know how that goes. Just lovely. Thanks!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Zurie
South Africa
I'm a widow, retired, and I love cooking. I live on the coast in South Africa and I love seafood. You're welcome to my recipes (all kinds, definitely not just seafood!) Just remember that no recipe is ever cast in stone -- adjust to your taste!
The photo was taken at a rustic seaside restaurant on our West Coast, approx 1 year ago (2016).