Pork chops with Southern Succour rub and peach relish

Ingredients

• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tbs dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried mustard powder
• generous pinch ground cayenne
• salt
• 2 thick pork chops, about 220 g each

For the relish

• ½ tbs groundnut oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 25ml apple juice
• juice of 1 lime or ½ lemon
• 50ml cider vinegar
• 12 dates, stoned and chopped
• 2 peaches, halved, stoned and chopped
• 35g soft light brown sugar

Method

The recipe for the relish makes more than you need for this meal but there’s not really any point fiddling about with a small quantity. Keep leftovers in a jar in the fridge. It’s lovely with chicken as well as pork.

About 4 hours before you want to cook the chops, mix all the ingredients for the rub together in a small bowl. Rub this well into the chops, cover loosely and put in the fridge. You will need to bring them to room temperature before you want to cook them.

To make the relish, heat the oil in a saucepan and gently saute the onion until it is soft and pale gold. Add the garlic, ginger and chillis and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the lime or lemon juice, the apple juice and the vinegar, dates and peach flesh. Stir to combine everything then cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the fruit has softened. Add the sugar and stir to help the sugar dissolve.

Turn the heat down and cook for another 7 minutes or so. This is not a chutney – chutneys are cooked long and slow and should be left to mature. This is a relish – they’re brighter in flavour. Check to see that your balance of sweet and sour is right and add more lime or lemon juice if you think it needs it. The relish should be a little hot too. Leave to cool completely.

Have your barbecue ready and cook the chops for about 30 minutes, covering them once you’ve done an initial browning. Turn them over from time to time. Make sure they are cooked right through to the middle – check with the tip of a knife.