Pork Chop Alla Griglia
Chef Nick Dugan doubles down on pork in a succulent entrée at Sorelle.
Photos; Will Bunt
A classic Italian pork chop has always had a home on the menu at Downtown Charleston’s Sorelle. As executive chef of the Southern Italian restaurant, Nick Dugan is constantly looking to develop dishes that engage his team, appeal to his guests, and support local purveyors. Enter: the pork chop alla griglia. Not only does the hearty, comforting pork dish expand upon an Italian staple and utilize product from across the Lowcountry, but it also gives Dugan a chance to create more hands-on learning opportunities in the kitchen. “The [dish] incorporates multiple techniques and touches on many different flavor profiles. The team is able to add all these techniques to their repertoires and grow and develop as young chefs. We’ve had really great success with it.”
Pork Chop
Dugan starts off with a Heritage Berkshire pork loin that he brines in a mixture of sugar, salt, shallots, garlic, thyme, black peppercorns, and rosemary. The pork is grilled to a nice char and, to make it even more craveable, Dugan whips up a hot honey agrodolce to accompany the protein. The honey, sourced from Horsecreek Apiaries & Honey Farm in Bowman, South Carolina, is cooked down with Calabrian chiles, garlic, black pepper, and a hit of MSG until bubbling and caramelized. The pork is then basted in the sweet, savory, and spicy agrodolce. “[The meat] gets this really beautiful caramelization that adds some depth to the dish.” Off the grill, the pork is continually basted in the sauce and finished with a sprinkle of flaky Maldon salt and fried rosemary.
Green Garlic Luganega
Before Dugan arrived at the current version of the dish, the star of the show was solely the pork chop. But, “the chop was originally 20 ounces, which was way too much protein,” so he decided to add a lighter, “garlicky sausage to accompany the pork,” and chose a green garlic luganega. The Northern Italian sausage typically uses parsley and provolone, but Dugan skipped the cheese and opted for plenty of green garlic—sourced from small, family-owned farms through GrowFood Carolina—along with fennel and paprika that gets ground together with Peculiar Pig Farm’s pork shoulder. Staying true to the original luganega, the sausage is stuffed into a sheep casing, wrapped into a coil, and grilled until charred. The sausage is also coated in the hot honey agrodolce before it’s sliced in half and served alongside the pork chop.
Radicchio Marmalade
For “another layer that plays with the sweetness from the agrodolce,“ the pork chop and sausage are laid on a bed of radicchio marmalade. The jam first came “out of necessity,” according to Dugan, when the kitchen had an abundance of radicchio. To prevent excess waste, they decided to preserve the chicory. The radicchio is first charred and cooked down with red onions, garlic, red wine, and a 25-year balsamic vinegar until syrupy. The marmalade is then seasoned with orange zest to add some brightness and to contrast the smoky char of the radicchio. “The bitter leaves from the radicchio, when treated well, bring out a natural earthiness in the pork.”
Onion Sprouts
To round out the hearty dish, Dugan arranges a nest of onion sprouts around the proteins for a pop of brightness. “King Tide Farms is a good friend of ours. During the pandemic, he started a hydroponic farm in a shipping container. He brought over these onion sprouts, and they're really intense and oniony.” The sharp bite of the fresh onion flavor helps cut through the rich, powerful flavors of the pork. “With any type of garnish, I want it to make an impact and make sense in the dish."
