Jarle Saupstad’s Fire Roasted Pork Chops and Braised Fox Point Farms Cabbage & Warm Bacon Potato Salad
Recipe Cards
I wanted to offer you, dear readers, not basic bitch features of local produce and where to find it but WHAT to DO with it.
Here you will find produce grown locally and how to cook it and how to compost it. We’re gonna eat SO GOOOOOOOD filling our mouths with culinary masterpieces from local chefs buying seasonal produce (meant for our bodies) grown nearby.
THIS WEEKS CULINARY CUT A BITCH RECIPE
I call him the Viking Chef, or he has been know as the chopper chef from his motorcycling travels. Jarle Saupstad is a very striking tall man covered in tattoos and quick as wit. One could banter with him for hours. The kinda guy who never asks what you do. Currently he’s head of culinary at Cbar, the growing cultural icon of Carlsbad, but his long list of accomplishments includes French Laundry and owning his own barbecue joint Smoke & Salt. I asked him the impossible; make cabbage sexy. And he did. In my rental house kitchen (and backyard) with no dishwasher, while answering 5 million questions from two toddlers. After all, you don’t need the state of the art oven, spatula or even cooking dish to make something faint worthy. You need Jarle’s recipe card. So here tis!
THE CABBAGE - low cost, packed full of nutrients and grown at Fox Point Farms. Also found there for this recipe: finglering potatoes, shallots, sheeps yogurt, onion, butter, mustard seeds, dill, etc.
Pork Chops bought at Wild Fork off Leucadia Blvd
Hungry toddlers gather round the chef’s plating table to steal the first bite.
Close up of the fire roasted pork chops.
Recipe
In written form from Chef himself. Click below for a downloadable recipe card or follow along below with pretty pictures.
Fire roasted pork chops and braised cabbage with warm bacon potato salad
Ingredients
4-6 Berkshire pork chops (if possible)
½ pound smokey bacon
4 large shallots
1 cup whole grain mustard
2-3 pounds marble potatoes
1qt chicken stock
1 ½ cups greek full fat yogurt
1 lg yellow onion
Salt and pepper
Herbs
FOR THE CHOPS
Salt and pepper is all you need when it comes to good quality meat. For me the fire is the true ingredient that speaks the loudest when utilized correctly. Season liberally, and i do mean liberally with salt and pepper as this will become the crust and the majority of the flavor.
To a charcoal grill add ½ a bag of hard wood lump charcoal, ignite and let it burn down until the charcoal is 75 percent gray/white with some larger pieces still black. Sear the chops about 6-8 inches away from the edge of the fire for about 5-8 minutes per side. You’ll know when there is an even golden brown sear. Pull the pork chops another 6-8 inches further back and cover with the lid for another 5 minutes. Using a thermometer, were looking for an internal temp of 128-135 degrees. As soon as thats reached, let em rest for at least 10 minutes if not 15.
WHILE YOUR CHARCOAL IS HEATING UP
Bring potatoes to a full boil and cook then until tender.
While potatoes and charcoal are going, dice up bacon and add it to a cold pan and turn it on after adding bacon to medium heat and let bacon render, stirring occasionally until deep golden brown and crispy. Remove bacon and reserve for later. Keep your pan on medium heat and keep the bacon fat in the pan, take your cabbages and quarter them, add them to hot pan and sear them in the rendered bacon fat until golden brown on both cut sides. Remove them from the pan and add ¼ cup of whole grain mustard and onion roughly chopped. Sautee until onion is translucent. Add the quart of chicken stock and white wine to deglaze the pan. Bring pan to a boil. Place the contents of the pan along with seared cabbages to a bake safe dish and cover. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 1 hour.
Chef Jarle in my kitchen getting bacon started.
TIME TO SEAR YOUR CHOPS
White chops are cooking, thinly slice shallots and place in a large miximg bowl. Once potatoes are tender place them on top of your sliced shallots so that they wilt. They’ll also become a little sweeter this way while retaining some of that sharp bite. Add in remaining whole grain mustard and leave until ready to server.
ASSUMING YOU DIDN’T FUCK THE CHOPS UP
While your chops are resting, take yogurt and reserved bacon and add it to the potatoes and mix gently but thoroughly, i like to add fresh herbs at this point and dealers choice. All green herbs work. My go to’s are green onion or chive, parsley or marjoram and dill. Mint would also work and give you a unique flavor profile. Rosemary, thyme, oregano. Really anything you want and dont fuckin skimp. Fresh herbs make your food taste like you might actually know what your doing. Its a great defense from your friends thinkin you can barely boil water.
NOW, I’m assuming this is pretty straight forward for you so keep up. In a larger serving dish add you potatoes and you cabbages that you probably forgot about. Make it pretty and then slice your pork chops and place on top. Take the liquid from the braised cabbage and spoon it over the top of the whole deal like i did in the pictures and if you really wanna look cool, tear up some more of the herbs i told you to use and sprinkle them over the top of the whole dish, Et voila. You look like a chef. Simple. Straight forward, ingredient driven comfort food.
