Swine ‘Em and Dine ‘Em

Brined Pork Chop, Cornbread Purée, Compressed Watermelon, Panzanella Salad, Tomato-Watermelon Vinaigrette, Pickled Watermelon Rind

Chef Jacob Coronado of Nobie’s | Houston, TX

“The inspiration for this dish was simply just being a kid raised in Texas. As a child, summertime meant playing outside and snacking on fresh watermelon. I wanted to bring summer to the plate. Pork compliments the sweetness of the watermelon and all of these flavors and brings me right back to family cook outs in backyards.” — Chef Jacob Coronado

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Adapted by StarChefs  |  June 2025  |  Photo: Alexander Zeren

INGREDIENTS

Pork:
140 grams kosher salt
245 grams brown sugar
225 grams apple cider vinegar
145 grams whole mustard seeds
1 pork chop

Watermelon Reduction:
Yield: 1 cup
1 large watermelon, rind removed, cleaned, and reserved, flesh seeded and cubed
Kosher salt
Ground sumac

Pickled Watermelon Rind:
40 grams sliced ginger
4 grams ground sumac
3 grams ground allspice
1 pod star anise
1 bay leaf
475 grams apple cider vinegar
100 grams granulated sugar
3 grams kosher salt

Compressed Watermelon:
Yield: 3 cups
354 grams smoked tomato water
70 grams simple syrup
38 grams lemon juice
15 grams salt tincture
40 grams sriracha
1 watermelon, cut into 1-inch slices

Tomato-Watermelon Vinaigrette:
Yield: 1 quart
40 grams tomato vinegar
30 grams aged Sherry vinegar
30 grams brunoised shallots
20 grams lemon juice
10 grams kosher salt
125 grams olive oil

Cornbread:
4 eggs
600 grams buttermilk
320 grams honey
290 grams all-purpose flour
250 grams cornmeal
20 grams baking powder
24 grams kosher salt
4 grams baking soda
176 grams melted butter

Cornbread Purée:
Yield: 1 quart
84 grams butter
450 grams corn stock
260 grams whole milk
4 grams kosher salt

Baguette Croutons:
1 baguette, torn into pieces
Butter
Kosher salt

Panzanella Salad:
5 baby San Marzano tomatoes, halved
½ cup mint leaves
½ cup basil leaves
2 ounces shaved ricotta salata

METHOD

For the Pork:
Place 1 kilogram ice in a nonreactive container and set aside. In a pot over medium-high heat, add salt, sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, and 2 kilograms water. Bring to a boil. Once sugar and salt have fully dissolved, pour mixture over ice. Set aside. Place pork chop in a nonreactive container. Cover with enough brine to fully submerge. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

For the Watermelon Reduction:
In a food processor, add watermelon and pulse until juices are released, working in batches if needed. Strain mixture into a large pot over medium heat. Cook until a syrup-like consistency is achieved. Remove from heat. Season with salt and sumac. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

For the Pickled Watermelon Rind:
Place reserved watermelon rind in a large nonreactive container and set aside. In a pot over medium heat, add ginger, sumac, allspice, star anise, and bay leaf. Toast until fragrant. Add apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour mixture over watermelon rind. Let sit 5 minutes at room temperature. Add 475 grams ice. Seal and refrigerate. 

For the Compressed Watermelon:
In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine tomato water, simple syrup, lemon juice, salt tincture, and sriracha. Transfer to a vacuum bag and add watermelon. Seal and let sit 20 minutes at room temperature. Strain, reserving liquid separately. Dice watermelon into 1-inch cubes and refrigerate. 

For the Tomato-Watermelon Vinaigrette:
In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine vinegars, shallots, lemon juice, salt, and 100 grams reserved Compressed Watermelon juice. Steam in oil, whisking until mixture is fully emulsified. Bottle and refrigerate.

For the Cornbread:
Heat oven to 325°F. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, and honey. In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Incorporate wet mixture into the dry mixture. Whisk in butter, then pour batter into a prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes. Let cool. Once cooled, dice into cubes and reserve.

For the Cornbread Purée:
In a pot over medium-high heat, melt 56 grams butter. Add 340 grams Cornbread cubes and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat and add corn stock and milk. Let simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender. Add salt and blend until smooth. Add remaining 28 grams butter, one cube at a time, blending until mixture is fully emulsified. Transfer to a nonreactive container and let cool.

For the Baguette Croutons:
Heat oven to 325°F. On a work surface, coat baguette with butter and season with salt.Transfer to a sheet tray and bake 8 minutes. Let cool.

For the Panzanella Salad:
Heat oven to 300°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, 1 cup Baguette Croutons, and 1 cup Compressed Watermelon. Add 1 ounce Tomato-Watermelon Vinaigrette and toss to coat. Set aside.

To Assemble and Serve:
Heat and prepare a grill. Remove Pork from brine and grill until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Transfer to a work surface and let rest. Once cooled, brush with Watermelon Reduction and slice to desired thickness. Spoon 2 ounces Cornbread Purée across the bottom of a serving plate. Top with sliced Pork and Panzanella Salad. Garnish with 1 ounce Pickled Watermelon Rind.

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