Hello Friends of Fall,
Back with I was living in Michigan, Boston and New York, there were definitely 4 distinctive seasons to experience. When Fall showed up it would arrive with the early evening or morning breeze that smelled faintly of a wood burning fire. Every year, right on cue, my appetite would shift. Suddenly I’m craving casseroles that hold the warmth like a secret, stews that feel like they’ve been waiting all day for me, duck prepared any f’ing way with its autumnal richness and, of course, pork. Homer Simpson was right when he said to his vegetarian daughter Lisa, “The pig is a magical animal.”
I love pork roasts and slow braised stews, whether it’s Mexican Chile Verde, Italian Porchetta or French Normandy stew with apples and Calvados and these are the dishes I enjoy making at home during the Fall and Winter months but right now I’m talking about pork chops. Not those thin, sorry-ass, plastic wrapped ones sitting in the supermarket coolers. I’m talking about Heritage breed chops…double-cut, 3 fingers tall… like the way I used to drink my favorite tequilas. This chop announces itself thick, rosy and beautifully marbled…the kind of pork that tastes like the animal lived a good life….and it did.
If you don’t know much about Heritage pork or, sadly, you have never tasted it, it is like no other pork. It is not a trend…it is a return to the way pork was meant to taste. For decades, pork was bred for speed and efficiency, not eating quality. The result was meat that was pale, lean, and often dry. Heritage pork has fine streaks of intramuscular fat that melts during cooking, actually basting the meat from the inside preventing it from drying out. These hogs mature about 10 percent slower than more conventional pigs which results in a deeper, more savory flavor. These animals are allowed to graze freely outside and forage on grass and natural feeds rather than rely upon antibiotics and growth hormones.
So, I’ve added one of my favorite preparations of pork chops to our Fall menus. Firstly, it’s marinated with olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary overnight. Then fire-grilled to order…never more than medium…long gone are the days when we were told that pork had to be cooked to a second death, well done. It would be sacrilegious to cook a Heritage chop beyond medium which means you still have a slightly pink, but incredibly juicy center. It is served high atop a layer of creamy mashed Yukon potatoes and a medley of roasted Brussel Sprouts, Sun-dried Cranberries, Honeycrisp Apples, Red Cabbage and Pecan wood smoked bacon…lastly drizzled with a Honey-Balsamic Jus.
This is a dish that just feels like the moment the days start to shorten, the Mission stones start cooling earlier from the afternoon sun, and when people lean in a little closer over dinner. When Fall arrives this is what you want…something hearty, something honest, and something that makes you feel like the season is settling into your bones. Enjoy it with one of those big-ass Red Blends from Paso Robles and well….
You’re Welcome…
David & Tino
