Note: The chillies in this recipe must be pickled for at least 4 days. Once pickled, chillies will keep well in the fridge. If you don’t have the time, you can use jarred pickled chillies instead. Also, you must brine the pork chops in this dish at least 3 hours in advance.
To pickle the chillies – mix the water and vinegar with the sugar and salt until dissolved. Place the chillies into a jar and fill with the pickling liquid. Leave at room temperature to pickle for 4 days.
For the pork chops – trim the excess fat from each chop. Mix the salt and water together to make a brine. Place the pork chops into a large bowl or container and fill with the brine solution. Cover and place in the fridge for 3 hours.
For the radishes – preheat an oven to 180°C. Place the radishes into a small baking dish with 500ml of water and the butter, and cover with foil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towel. Coat the radishes with olive oil and char on a hot barbeque for 3-5 minutes.
To cook the pork – place a barbeque or char-grill on a low heat. Coat the pork with oil and season with salt, then cook for 8 minutes on each side. Remove the pork from the heat to rest and increase the grill to its highest setting. After 10 minutes, return the pork to the heat and char for 5 minutes each side.
To serve – place the charred radishes onto the centre of a plate. Place a pork chop on top and finish with pickled chillies, half a finger lime, salt and pepper.
4 x 180g pork chops
1L water
100g salt
2 bunch radishes, stems on
100ml extra virgin olive oil
8 finger limes
100g butter
salt and pepper
pickled chilli
12 red chillies, stems removed
300ml water
300ml white vinegar
80g sugar
30g salt