BBQ pork chops

I think this is another recipe for which I must thank my aunt Debbie! My friend Alexis informs me that she is trying to expand her cooking repertoire and so it was with her in mind that I made this dinner on Monday evening!

This marinade is fantastic with pretty much any meat and is really useful come barbeque season. I’ve used it to coat chicken drumsticks, breasts, kebabs, and lots of different cuts of pork.

I’m a bit lazy and stopped using exact quantities of the ingredients years ago, but try making it according to the list below and then adapt it to your taste as you feel necessary- there’s no right or wrong way to make the sauce, as long as you like it. I also like to add chilli or cayenne pepper for an extra zingyness but I know that not everyone likes it hot!

I feel it necessary to point out here that I really don’t like brown sauce but in this marinade you don’t taste it- it just melds with the ketchup and give it a yummy BBQy boost- if I didn’t tell you it was there you would never know from the taste of the dish. Anyway, if you don’t like it either, don’t let its inclusion put you off!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 4 pork loin steaks or chops- I prefer loin steaks because there’s no bones and they cook quicker but go with whatever you like
• 1tsp butter
• 1tsp light brown sugar
• 4 big tablespoons of ketchup
• 2 big tablespoons of brown sauce (it doesn’t really matter how much of these sauces you use as long as you aim for roughly two thirds ketchup, one third brown sauce)
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Optional- 1tsp dried chilli flakes or cayenne pepper
• Your choice of accompaniments- I like rice, green salad or baked potatoes (see photo) but you can use anything you like

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C or gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with tin foil (you don’t have to line it but it does make the washing up easier!)
• In a small sauce pan melt the butter over a low heat and add the brown sugar, stirring well until the sugar dissolves- this will only take a minute
• Then add the ketchup and brown sauce plus the seasonings. Taste to see what you think, you can add a bit more of either sauce if you like.
• Cook for 5 mins just to warm the sauce through then place the chops into the baking tray and coat well with the sauce on both sides.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins (check the chops for pinkness) or until done. Then serve immediately with your choice of accompaniments, I like to pour a bit of the sauce over the chops from the pan too.

p.s. if you are having a barbeque you can make the marinade in advance, allow it to cool, then cover the meat in it and put it in the fridge to marinate for up to 24 hours making it even tastier!