Caribbean jerk seasoning is typically very spicy—featuring habanero peppers. Feel free to use half of a habanero pepper in place of the jalapeño, but be warned—long, slow braising tends to intensify the heat of chilli peppers and other spicy ingredients. The mango salsa adds a nice cooling element, though. Make sure to keep a glass of cold almond milk on hand. Just in case.
Prep time 20 minutes
Serves 6
For the pork chops:
6 thick-cut pork chops
Sea salt
3 tablespoons (19 g) Dry Caribbean Jerk Rub
1 orange, zest and juice
2 limes (zest from 1 and juice from 2)
1 jalapeño, diced (seeded, if desired) or 1/2 a habanero chilli, seeded
1 13.5-ounce (398 ml) can coconut milk
1 cup (235 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
11/2 tablespoons (30 g) honey
11/2 tablespoons tapioca flour
For the mango salsa:
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 mango, peeled and diced
Juice from 1 lime
1 jalapeño, minced (seeded, if desired)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup (80 g) diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons (16 g) of finely grated ginger
Pinch of sea salt
1 Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with sea salt.
2 In a small bowl, combine the jerk seasoning, orange zest, and lime zest. Rub the mixture together between your fingers and then rub it on both sides of each pork chop. Set aside.
3 In a 6-quart (5.7 liter) slow cooker, combine the orange juice, lime juice, jalapeño, coconut milk, stock, bay leaves, honey, and tapioca flour. Place the pork chops in the coconut mixture.
4 Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the chops are tender, but not dry.
5 Combine all salsa ingredients and chill until ready to use.
6 When the pork chops are finished cooking, they should break apart easily with a fork. Remove the bay leaves and squirt the juice from one lime over the entire pot. Taste, and add more salt if needed.
7 Remove pork chops from the slow cooker and serve with a few spoonfuls of cooking liquid and some mango salsa. If you like, you can also shred the chops and place the meat back into the slow cooker to soak up more of the juices.
