When I chatted with Chef Larry Stewart at Hardware Grill he told me they kept their June is Pork month feature fairly simple.

The ‘Figgy Piggy’ features a thick cut roasted pork chop stuffed with roasted shallots and figs. The chop is plated on a two-potato hash with ham hock, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms, and then finished with a slathering of bacon jam, a piece of tempura bacon, and then topped with a fig port sauce.

Sounds simple enough, but if the recipe Chef Stewart shared with Alberta Pork sounds too challenging, all this month you can savour the Figgy Piggy in the house that created it.

Hardware Grill is one of Edmonton’s longest running fine-dining restaurants. They’ve been smoking their bacon in house for the last 19 years, and Chef Stewart believes they were one of the first to put pork belly on a menu in Edmonton.

Over the years, Chef Stewart has seen how acceptance for different pork cuts has changed. Pork, and not just bacon, has experienced an increase in popularity in the last few years, and the kitchen is always looking for innovative ways to incorporate different cuts in their dishes.

Perhaps that is why the June is Pork month feature at Hardware Grill features not one but four different pork components in one dish. Visit Hardware Grill this month to try out Chef Larry Stewart’s ‘Figgy Piggy’.

Figgy Piggy
Recipe courtesy of Chef Larry Stewart, Hardware Grill

4 Alberta pork loin chops (Bone on- roughly 8 oz. each)
4 strips THICK cut bacon

FIG/BALSAMIC SAUCE

375 ml red wine
4 oz chopped dry figs
2 oz balsamic vinegar
1 cup demi glace

Combine red wine, figs and balsamic in a small pot – reduce by half. Add demiglace, return to a simmer, blend with hand mixer & strain.

PORK MARINADE

16 oz maple syrup
16 oz apple cider vinegar
4 oz soya
16 oz vegetable oil
4 Tbsp Dijon

FIG & SHALLOT STUFFING

8 oz shallots, julienne
2 Tbsp butter
4 oz figs, dried
1 oz Armagnac (French brandy)
1 ½ Tbsp chopped thyme

Sauté shallots in butter until golden but not overcooked. Deglaze pan with Armagnac, add figs and thyme. Mix and cool immediately.

TEMPURA BATTER 3⁄4 cup beer (not a dark beer!)

3⁄4 cup rice flour
3⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄4-1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder (optional or to taste)
vegetable oil (for deep frying) seasoning salt

Place pork (delete Alberta) in marinade for 8 hours then discard marinade. Using a small, sharp knife, make an incision in middle of side of pork chop and slice a cavity. Stuff with fig & shallot stuffing (be generous), poke with finger to distribute. Cook bacon in oven to 90% crisp, cool. Dip bacon into tempura batter and deep fry for 90 sec – 2 minutes. If it seems thin, batter again, deep fry and then keep warm. When ready, grill or roast pork chops(delete Alberta) (350F) to medium. Serve with fig-balsamic sauce and top with bacon.

Best served with roasted potatoes or a sauté potato hash. Serves 4.