We're on a mission to discover the wonders of cooking with pork. Be inspired by the versatility, value for money, and delicious taste. When prepared correctly, pork is the perfect choice for quick and easy meals that are ideal for weeknights or entertaining guests.

Experiment with all pork cuts, both the well – and lesser-known ones and discover the magic of this fantastic white meat. These cuts can turn into the most exciting meals. Sooner than later, cooking with pork will be as easy as pie, and you’ll become a culinary pork superstar.

Available in many different cuts, you can prepare various interesting and delicious meals with pork. Often interesting cuts like mince, schnitzels, stir-fry strips, goulash (cubes) and trotters aren't displayed on grocery store shelves, but the shop's butchery staff are always ready and willing to prepare these for you on demand. So, never be afraid to ask them for the cut you want. Bonus – because it's prepared right there and then, it's as fresh as can be!

Children just love spaghetti bolognaise - even big kids too! Next time you're making this dish, ask for pork mince at the meat market counter - it's ideal for making a flavour-packed bolognaise sauce. I like to add some bacon to the pork mince to make a tasty bolognaise.

Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 12 - 15 min

 BOLOGNAISE SAUCE
Oil  
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed 
125 g bacon, chopped 
1 kg pork mince 
1 can (400 g) tomatoes with olive oil and basil
1 sachet (50 g) tomato paste
60 ml (1/4 c) sundried tomatoes in vinaigrette
30—40 ml (2—3 T) sundried tomato pesto
250 ml (1 c) red wine (optional)
Grated lemon rind
Salt and pepper 
Pinch of sugar

TO SERVE
Spaghetti
Parmesan cheese
Olives
Basil leaves for garnishing

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the onions and garlic till soft. Add the bacon and mince and fry till done. Add the rest of the ingredients and lower the heat. Let simmer till flavoursome, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar if needed.
2 Spoon the spaghetti into a large serving dish and top with the bolognaise. Lightly mix. Finish with a few black olives, garnish with basil and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

A good glug of red wine; a few olives and sundried tomatoes makes this sauce extra tasty and ideal to serve when friends pop in for a casual visit.

This is a winner! Oh so tasty, one can never go wrong with a stir-fry if you want to serve healthy and tasty food that will be ready in a few minutes.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 - 30 min
Cooking time: About 20 min

SAUCE
15 ml (1 T) oil
45 ml (3 T) finely grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 whole star anise pods
80 ml (1/2 c) brown sugar
60 ml sushi vinegar
30 ml soy sauce
30 ml tomato puree
5 ml (1 t) prepared mustard or 2,5 ml hot English mustard
15 ml (1 T) sesame seeds

PORK
45 ml (3 T) soy sauce
5 ml (1 t) each grated garlic and ginger
80 ml (1/3 c) corn flour
2 egg whites, gently whisked
500 g pork, cut into strips 
Salt and pepper to taste

VEGETABLES
Canola oil
15 ml (1 T) grated ginger
1 red onion, thinly sliced
About 500 g variety of green veggies like broccoli, mangetout, baby beans and/or baby spinach
Spring onions, chopped
Bean sprouts 
Chopped peanuts
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Noodles to serve

1 SAUCE 
Heat the oil and fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer till the sugar has melted and you have a flavoursome sauce. Set aside
2 PORK Place the soy sauce, garlic and ginger, cornflour and whisked egg whites in a large bowl and mix well. 
3 Season the pork strips with salt and pepper, dip a few pieces at a time into the mix and fry in a little heated oil till just done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4 Wipe the pan with paper towel, add more oil and stir-fry the broccoli, mangetout and baby beans for just a few minutes - till just soft but still crisp. Add the pork again as well as the spinach if using, pour over the sauce, mix and heat till warm. Sprinkle with spring onions, bean sprouts and peanuts. Finish with coriander leaves.
5 Spoon noodles into serving bowls and top with a good helping of sweet ‘n sour pork stir-fry.

The versatility of pulled pork just never ends - it's the ideal filling for sliders, wraps and even tacos. By using leg of pork, it is pretty economical too.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours

1,5 kg leg of pork
Salt and pepper 

SAUCE 
1 onion, chopped 
5 cm ginger root, chopped 
6 cloves garlic, peeled
5 ml (1 t) Chinese spice 
5 ml (1 t) mustard powder 
5 ml (1 t) paprika
125 ml (½ c) tomato purée 
60 ml (¼ c) apple vinegar 
80 ml (⅓ c) soy sauce 
80 ml (⅓ c) honey 
125 ml (½ c) green rooibos tea or water as needed 
80 ml (⅓ c) brown sugar 

TO SERVE 
About 6 wraps 
Red onion rings
Prepared mustard
1 piece Camembert, sliced
1 green apple, julienned 
Rocket leaves

MEAT Season the meat with salt and pepper and place in the pressure cooker.
Place all ingredients for the sauce - except the sugar in a food processor and blend till fine. 
3 Pour over the meat in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook till very soft and the meat falls off the bone, about 1 hour and 20 min. 
4 Remove the meat from the pressure cooker and shred into small pieces with two forks. Place the pulled pork in an oven pan. Add the pan juices from the pressure cooker and mix.
5 Sprinkle brown sugar over the meat and oven-roast at 200°C till the meat is slightly caramelised. 
6 TO SERVE Place a serving of pulled pork in a wrap, top with onion rings and some prepared mustard as well as a slice of cheese and apple strips. Fold into a pocket. Fry the pocket in a dry pan, till slightly browned on the outside.
7 Place the wrap on a serving plate and serve with extra camembert, apple, red onion rings and rocket leaves on the side.

Apple and camembert are a perfect match for pork. The wrap will be the ideal food for lunch while a taco can be a wonderful party pleaser at an event where guests can create their own tacos.

If you want to impress your guests, serve them steak, braaied to perfection – brown and crispy on the outside, but still juicy inside. This can be tricky, but with pork you don’t have to worry, as the meat is always tender. Pork rump steak is ideal, but pork neck steaks are just as good - as it is beautifully marbled with some fat, but it also has collagen that adds flavour. I love using pork steaks as you can control the fattiness by deciding how thick you want the fatty layer on the outside.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: About 15 - 20 min

MARINADE 
180 ml (3/4 c) soy sauce 
125 ml (1/2 c) apple vinegar 
6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed 
1 onion, chopped 
45 ml (3 T) castor sugar 
4 bay leaves 
80 ml (1⁄₃ c) oil 

STEAKS
4 pork rump steaks, thickly sliced 
Salt and pepper 

SALSA
1 small pineapple, cubed 
1 small red onion, sliced
Handful of mint and coriander leaves, chopped 
45 ml (3 T) lime or lemon juice 

TO SERVE
Sweet potato wedges

1 MARINADE Mix all the ingredients. 
2 STEAKS Season the steaks with salt and pepper, pour over the marinade and let marinate for 3—4 hours.
Remove the meat from the marinade and braai high over hot coals or in a griddle pan till done, but not dry. Baste frequently with the marinade.
4 Reduce the rest of the marinade. Pour over the steaks. 
5 SALSA Mix together all the ingredients.  Serve with the steaks

Everybody loves a sosatie or meat on a stick when having a braai. Pork is ideal to use for kebabs as the meat is always tender and ready and done in a jiffy. It pairs well with various marinades, from sweet ‘n sour, mustard or even a mild spicy one.

Serves 6 
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 15 - 20 min

1 kg pork cubes (neck or leg of pork can be used) 
250 ml (1 c) natural yoghurt
15 ml (1 T) ground coriander
5 ml (1 t) turmeric
5 ml (1 t) ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, crushed
15 ml (1 T) fresh ginger, finely grated
30 ml (2 T) fresh coriander, finely chopped
5 ml (1 t) salt
10 ml (2 t) finely grated lemon zest
Oil for frying
Red onion, sliced in wedges

TO SERVE: Coleslaw 
250 g each green and red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 large apples, chopped
250 ml (1 c) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
125 ml (1/2 c) sunflower seeds, toasted
250 ml (1 c) sultanas
5 ml (1 t) caraway seeds or aniseed, toasted and crushed

DRESSING
2 cloves garlic, crushed
10 ml (2 t) orange zest
5 ml (1 t) fresh ginger, grated
180 ml (3/4 c) orange juice
80 ml (1/3 c) olive oil
60 ml (1/4 c) honey
Salt to taste
30 ml (2 T) toasted sesame seeds

1 Place the pork cubes into a glass bowl.
Mix together all the remaining ingredients and thoroughly coat the pork chops.
3 Cover and marinate for 5 hours.
4 Thread the pork cubes onto wooden skewers, alternate with onion wedges. 
5 Fry the skewers over hot coals till done or in a griddle pan till browned outside. Place on an oven tray and bake for 5—10 minutes till cooked. Rest for 10 minutes.
6 SALAD Mix together all the ingredients in a large salad bowl.
7 SALAD DRESSING Mix all the ingredients. Pour over the salad.
8 Serve the kebabs with the slaw.

 

The fresh and crispy coleslaw goes beautifully with the flavourful kebabs and it's ideal to serve as a main meal. On its own it’s the perfect snack or appetiser. Be sure to not overcook the meat, keep it soft and succulent.

In our house, hamburgers are the go-to Friday night supper and we like playing around with various trimmings. Using pork mince ensures that the patty is nice and juicy and you know what it contains. It is really so easy and worthwhile to make your own patties.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 20 min

PATTIES 
1 small onion, chopped 
1 clove garlic, crushed 
oil
800 g pork mince 
20 g parsley, chopped 
1 egg 
5ml (1t) paprika
2,5ml (1/2t) ground coriander 
15ml (1T) Worcestershire sauce 
60ml (¼c) oats 
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

SAUCE 
1 red onion, sliced
Salt
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
125 ml (1/2 c) capers
3 large gherkins, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
80 ml (1/3 c) each mayonnaise and full-cream yoghurt
Pepper to taste 

THE HAMBURGER
Sesame brown buns or plain hamburger buns 
Salad leaves
Slices of pineapple 
Extra red onion rings

TO SERVE 
Sweet potato chips

PATTIES  Fry the onion and garlic in the oil till soft. Cool. 
2 Place the mince in a large glass bowl, add the onion mix as well as the rest of the patty ingredients. Mix well, but lightly with your hands.
3 Form patties and place on a baking sheet. Cool for at least half an hour.
4 Just before serving, heat a griddle pan, brush the patties with oil and fry till brown outside. No need to be fully cooked inside - depending on your preference. 5 SAUCE Sprinkle the onion with salt, set aside for an hour, then rinse under cold, running water and pat dry.
6 Add the rest of the ingredients.
7 TO ASSEMBLE Place the bottom part of the buns on a plate, top with salad leaves, pineapple slices and a patty. Finish with a good scoop of sauce and top with the topside bun. Serve with sweet potato chips on the side.