INGREDIENTS:Brine:
4 8-oz. pork rib chops
1 gallon water
¼ lb. salt
¼ lb. brown sugar
1oz. red chile powder
1 oz. cinnamon, ground
½ oz. coriander
½ oz. cumin
½ oz. curry powder
Smoked Hock Liquor:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. black peppercorn
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch marjoram
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ small carrot, chopped
¼ celery stick
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 cup red wine
4 cups veal stock
2 bay leaves
1 ham hock, smoked
1 Tbsp. shallots, roasted
1 Tbsp. garlic, roasted
to taste, salt DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix all ingredients well, add pork chops and let brine for at least 1 ½ hours in refrigerator. Remove pork from brine and dry. Pan-sear pork chops for 1 minute on each side. Transfer to oven and cook for about 8 minutes or until desired temperature is reached. Remove from oven and serve.
Heat oil. Toast black pepper and herbs in oil for one minute. Add onions, carrots and celery stick. Caramelize for 10 minutes. Add molasses; cook for a few minutes, then add wine. Reduce by half. Add the stock, bay leaves, and ham hock. Reduce by half. Puree roasted shallot and garlic with some veal stock and add to sauce. Season to taste with salt. Keep warm.
At Signatures, braised collard greens are spooned onto a plate or into a bowl, and preserved pumpkin is spooned on top of greens. Pork chop and smoked hock liquor are placed side by side on top of collard greens. SERVINGS:4 servings From:Executive chef/partner Morou, Signatures, Washington, D.C. PHOTO CREDIT:Photo Credit: SIGNATURES