Planning what food to have while watching a football game sometimes is a challenge and it also depends on who will be watching with you or should I say, there should be a balance on saltiness and fat contents of the food to be served. Based on the emails in my inbox days before a game, they're mostly salty, fatty foods promoting their products or food magazines' sites extolling the latest creation of their kitchen staff. To avoid this pitfall, you have to be careful in choosing the food to serve during the pre-season games. Though a football season is shorter than baseball, still 6 months of having finger foods, which is generally salty and fat-laden, seems to be an overload of unnecessary food if you let your guard down.

I like a dish not using a dough loaded with butter or lard, but something that is rolled for easy handling while watching TV but not spring rolls. The unused wrappers are wasted after opening the package. They become stiff like hard cheese, even if placed in a zipped plastic bag.

Not using any dough, this Pastrami with Stuffed Pork Loin fits the bill and Fried Rice with Pork Belly Adobo (I trimmed off the fatty portion to be used for a Ramen broth) will be in the planned good eats during this football games, for another irresistible adobo dish. You might say I have an overload of pork, but the pork belly doesn't dominate the fried rice. It's the sauce of the Filipino Pork Belly Adobo that enhances the flavor of the fried rice.

Ingredients:
Note: pcs/pieces - Tbsp/tablespoon

4 pcs boneless pork chop, sliced into 3 pieces each

Rub:
6 Tbs bottled minced garlic & parsley mix
6 Tbsp mesquite rub
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp cardamon powder

Before grilling:
4 tsp bottled minced garlic and parsley seasoning
4 tsp McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite rub
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp cooking oil
8 Pastrami slices

Instructions:

1. Mix rub and season the pork. Set aside in refrigerator at least 6 hours before baking in oven or roasting in convection oven.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Put rack on the middle part of the oven.
3. Horizontally sliced pork chop into 4 pieces. Brush pastrami with honey on the inside part where pork will be placed.
4. Place each slice of pork on part of pastrami closest to your side, roll pork around pastrami and secure with toothpick. Set aside pork uneven pieces and bones for soup broth or sautéing with noodles.
5. Grill pastrami for 25 minutes or 20 minutes in convection oven.
6. Serves 4.