Method

• 1.
  Remove the pork chop from the fridge and set aside for at least 1 hour before cooking.
• 2.
  Light a charcoal grill or barbecue and let it burn down to a bed of white, glowing coals. Place a cast-iron frying pan on a wire rack set above the coals, or on the barbecue flatplate, to get very hot.
• 3.
  Rub a little oil all over the chop to coat, then season it liberally with flaky salt. Add to the pan and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes or until it colours and develops a crust. Flip the chop over and let it colour and develop a crust on the other side.
• 4.
  The pan should have accumulated some fat from the chop, which is great for crisping the skin. Using a pair of tongs, carefully balance the chop upright in the pan, skin side down, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the fat has rendered, and the skin is golden and starting to crackle nicely. Due to the shape of the chop, you may need to roll it backwards and forwards as it cooks to get an even result.
• 5.
  Set pan aside, reserving the rendered fat, and transfer chop onto wire rack set over the coals, or onto barbecue flatplate. Let chop gently cook through, flipping it occasionally and monitoring the internal temperature with a probe thermometer. You’re looking for a final temperature of 57-60°C, so remove it from the heat when it’s around 55°C and let it creep up to temperature as it rests. The meat will be around medium; you can cook it longer, but you don’t do the pig justice by doing so - cooking your pork slightly pinker results in a far superior, juicier chop. I then like to put the chop back into the rendered fat in the pan until it cools to around 50°C.
• 6.
  Meanwhile, you can make the sweet-and-sour grilled onions. (optional) For the palm-sugar vinegar, crush the palm sugar and place in a saucepan. Moisten the sugar with 2 tbs water. Cook over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until sugar begins to caramelise, then turns dark and very fragrant. Be careful not to take it too far or it will burn. Remove from heat and add vinegar (be careful; it will spit), then stir in the garlic and let it cool completely (see note).
• 7.
  Add the whole white and red onions to a large saucepan of boiling water. Cook at a gentle boil for 25 minutes, or until tender, then plunge into a bowl of iced water to cool. Blanch shallots in the same pan of boiling water for 1 minute, then add them to the iced water to cool. Transfer all onions to a clean tea towel to dry.
• 8.
  Meanwhile, light a charcoal grill or barbecue and let it burn down to glowing coals. Cut the white and red onions in half, then cut one of each of the halves in half again. Peel off the skin and discard, then separate the layers. Cut the roots from shallots, but otherwise leave them whole.
• 9.
  Lightly drizzle onions with olive oil, then season with salt flakes. Place on a rack set over the coals, or on the flatplate, and cook, tossing occasionally, for 2-3 minutes until onions are charred around the edges.
• 10.
  Transfer onions to a bowl and dress with 2 tbs palm-sugar vinegar. Add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season and gently toss it all together with your hands.
• 11.
  To carve the pork chop, stand it on a chopping board with the rib bone pointing up, and run a sharp knife between the bone and meat. Once you get to the bottom, you’ll need to change the angle of the knife to horizontal to follow the bone around and release the meat. Lay the meat flat on the board, taking care not to let the crackling come into contact with any juices, which will make it soggy and undo all your hard work.
• 12.
  With your knife at a 45-degree angle, cut the meat into 1cm slices, then arrange it on a warm plate and gently season with salt flakes between each slice. Lay the bone alongside and pour any extra juices over the meat. If you're serving the onions, pile them on top of the grilled pork chop to serve.