Pork Chop Seasoning -- The Blend I Keep Coming Back to When I Need Him Close

One week. Marcus died one week from today, four years ago. I know the date with the precision you know the dates that changed your life — April ninth, a Monday, in the evening. There are details I carry that I will carry always: the light in the hospital room, the specific quiet of that building at that hour, the way CJ held my arm when we walked out. The parking lot. The drive home. The house empty in a way it had never been.

I am not going to spend this week in collapse. I have learned that much. But I am also not going to pretend the week is ordinary, because it isn't. I let myself move slower. I cook the things that are most connected to him — smothered pork chops, the sweet potato pie he always asked for — not as an act of mourning but as an act of memory. There is a difference, though it is not always easy to locate.

Destiny called Sunday to check on me. She has a therapist's instinct about timing and she never lets the anniversary week pass without contact. We talked for an hour about Marcus — specific memories, specific details. She told me about the time he drove three hours in the wrong direction because he would not use GPS and would not ask for directions and eventually pulled into a gas station and came back inside and said to the attendant, my daughter says I need to ask. She had never told me this story. I laughed at it for several minutes. After we hung up I sat with it for a while — this new Marcus story, arriving four years after his death, from a place I hadn't looked. There are rooms in a life that keep opening, even years later. That seems important. That seems like a kind of grace.

When I talk about making Marcus’s smothered pork chops during the anniversary week, this seasoning blend is where it starts — before the gravy, before the cast iron, before anything. I’ve made it so many times now that my hands know the proportions without measuring, but I wrote it down years ago because some things deserve to be kept. If you’re carrying someone this week, or any week, I hope you find your version of this: the small, specific thing that brings them back into the room with you.

Pork Chop Seasoning

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 8 (enough for 8 pork chops)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions

1. Combine. Add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, black pepper, kosher salt, cayenne, and brown sugar to a small bowl. Stir until evenly blended.
2. Taste and adjust. Dip a clean fingertip in and taste. Adjust salt, cayenne, or paprika to your preference — every kitchen runs a little different.
3. Apply to chops. Pat your pork chops dry with paper towels, then rub the seasoning generously on both sides, pressing gently so it adheres.
4. Rest before cooking. Let the seasoned chops rest at room temperature for 15—20 minutes before cooking. This helps the seasoning penetrate and ensures even cooking.
5. Store extras. Transfer any unused seasoning to a small airtight jar or zip-top bag. It will keep at room temperature for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 8 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 145mg