Braised Pork and Greens §

This is a Southern-style, soul-food dish, that’ just a little more sophisticated than hamhocks and collards, but not fancy at all. It’s just something you can cook up in about half an hour—not that you need to rush cooking this, though. Take your time and have a cocktail* in the preparation.

  • 4 rashers of bacon, nuked† and crumbled
  • 2 pork tenderloins, about ½ lb each
  • <salt> and pepper
  • olive oil spray
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • 1 large bunch greens (Swiss chard, spinach, or beet greens)
  • 4 tsp cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup Bourbon whiskey
  • 2 tbsp Splenda® <brown sugar>
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp <butter>
  • 3 drops liquid hickory smoke

Microwave the bacon between paper towels within a folded newspaper section on high heat until crisp. Remove, cool, and crumble.

Dry the pork with paper towels and season with <salt> and pepper. Spray a sauté pan with oil and cook the pork at high heat until brown on all sides and the center has reached 145°F, about 6 minutes, depending on the thckness of the meat. Remove to a platter and keep warm in an oven set at a very low temperature.

Respray the now-empty pan with oil, add the garlic, spread it around, and raise the heat until aromatic, about half a minute. Add the greens, half the vinegar, and bacon and cook, covered but stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender. (The time required for this will depend on the type of greens chosen.) Remove from the heat, season with <salt> and pepper, and transfer the greens to another plate to be kept warm, leaving the juices behind.

Add the remaining ingredients (vinegar, Bourbon, brown Splenda, Dijon mustard, <butter>, and liquid smoke) to the skillet juices, whisk to combine everything, and cook until smooth and thickened, maybe 2 or 3 minutes.

Pour sauce over the pork, plate the meat and greens, and serve. Serves 2.

Pork Hocks ♭

This dish was the entrée on the evening of January 20, 2019 as we watched the Los Angeles Rams defeat the New Orleans Saints by committing an egregious foul that was missed by the referees and that would have otherwise given the win to the Saints. But the entrée itself was outstanding, no foul play there.

  • 2 meaty smoked pork hocks
  • 2½ cup unsalted chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • ¼ cup dried onions
  • 1 heaping tbsp Marmite®
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 5 white mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 small potato (for the wife)
Side dish
  • 4 large Brussels sprouts, halved
  • sprinkle with EVOO
  • sprinkle with grated Asiago

Put the pork hocks into a pot just large enough to accommodate them, add the rest of the ingredients, except the potato, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a mere simmer.

Let simmer for 1½ hours, then add the potato and continue the simmer for another 30 minutes.

Wash and halve the Brussels sprouts, sprinkle the cut side with EVOO and grated Asiago cheese, and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Remove the hocks and potato, strain and save the liquid for soups, and serve with the Brussels sprouts.

Serves 2.