Mango Habanero Pork Chops

Mr. Wright loves pork chops, but I find them little bland most of the time. I always need some kind of sauce with them. This mango habanero glaze is the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. You can also substitute the mango with peach or apricot preserves. The apple pepper relish adds even more flavor, brightness, and a great crunch.

I served them with grilled potatoes and green beans. Everything goes on the grill, and there is zero clean up! I placed the green beans (along with a few sliced radishes I had on hand) in a foil packet and tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. I did the exact same with the potatoes in another foil packet and placed the foil packets on the grill while the pork chops were cooking.

IMG_1844.jpeg

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless pork chops, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 cup mango preserves (or peach or apricot)

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce 

  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger 

  • 2 cloves garlic, grated

  • 1 orange, zested and juiced

  • 1 habanero pepper, seeded and diced

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

  • 1 green apple, peeled, cored and finely diced 

  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced 

  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced 

  • 1 lime, zested and juiced

Directions

For the glaze: Add the mango preserves, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, orange zest and juice and habanero to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Divide the glaze between 2 bowls, reserving 1 bowl for basting and one for serving with the cooked pork chops.

For the pork chops: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Using a brush, coat the chops with the first round of glaze. Place them on the grill glazed-side down and grill without moving until the glaze begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Brush the tops with glaze, flip the chops, brush the other side with more glaze and continue cooking until the chops are caramelized, charred and sticky and the internal temperature registers 145 degrees F, another 7 to 10 minutes. Discard the basting glaze. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes, coating them once with the reserved serving glaze while resting.

For the relish: Combine the mint, apple, bell pepper, scallion and lime zest and juice in a bowl and toss to coat.

Top the pork chops with the apple relish and serve with the remaining serving glaze.