Hash Brown Pork Skillet

April 2021. Spring in Memphis, and I am 62, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.

Charlie in Nashville, thriving in the way Charlie thrives — quietly, competently, with the determination of a Johnson woman and the grace of something uniquely hers.

I experimented this week — smoked pork belly burnt ends, cubed and re-smoked with sauce and butter until they were sticky, caramelized, and indecent. The kind of food that makes Rosetta say "Earl, your arteries" and then eat three more pieces, because even nurses have limits, and the limit of smoked pork belly burnt ends has not yet been found by human science.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 62 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

The burnt ends were for the smoker and the long hours and the ceremony of it all — but after Rosetta finally put her foot down and I laughed myself back inside, I wanted something I could pull together fast in a cast-iron skillet and set in front of whoever wandered through the door, the way Clyde’s kitchen was always open. This Hash Brown Pork Skillet is that kind of food: no waiting, no ceremony, just good pork and good starch and the smell of something purposeful coming off a hot pan, which is really the whole point of cooking for the people you love.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb boneless pork loin chops, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat pork cubes dry with paper towels. Toss with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until evenly coated.
Brown the pork. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3 to 4 minutes until a deep crust forms. Stir and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Soften the vegetables. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and beginning to brown at the edges. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Crisp the hash browns. Add the thawed hash browns to the skillet, spreading them into an even layer. Press down gently with a spatula. Cook undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes until the bottom is golden and crispy. Flip in sections and cook another 4 to 5 minutes until crispy throughout. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine and finish. Return the browned pork to the skillet, nestling it into the hash browns. Stir gently to combine and cook for 2 minutes until everything is heated through and the flavors have melded. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve. Remove from heat, scatter fresh parsley over the top, and bring the skillet straight to the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Hash Brown Pork Skillet — The Fire Doesn’t Stop