These pan seared pork chops will turn even the biggest pork chop skeptic into a pork chop lover! The method is possible because of two key considerations: quality pork and strategic preparation.
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Pork chops …what comes to mind when you think of them? Before I got my hands on quality chops and THEN figured out how to cook them, I used to think, “dry, rubbery, no flavor.” I would read “pork chop” on a menu and instantly skip ahead. I also didn’t like making them for us at home because they always turned out (you guessed it): dry, rubbery, and with no flavor.
I stayed slightly optimistic about pork chops and kept trying them out. After years of dry, flavorless experiments, I stumbled on a chop that blew my little pork chop-loathing socks right off. I, in my own kitchen with my own humble cooking skills, managed to cook a pork chop that was moist, tender, and bursting with flavor. These pork chops were craveable …a word I NEVER thought I’d associate with pork chops.
Seared Pork Chops Ingredients
The bulk of the ingredients called for in this recipe are for the brine, but they’re all super accessible and many of them are even pantry staples! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pork Chops – First you’ll need 4 pork chops (a little over 1 pound total) that are about 1 inch thick.
- Water – 3 cups of water makes up the bulk of the liquid for the brine.
- Sea Salt – a brine isn’t a brine without sea salt! For 3 cups of water, you’ll need 3 tablespoons of sea salt.
- Bay Leaves – in addition to the water and salt, you’ll also need to add 2 bay leaves,…
- Garlic – …2 cloves of crushed garlic,…
- Apple Cider Vinegar – …a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar,…
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – …1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper,…
- Fresh Ginger – …2 inches of thinly sliced fresh ginger,…
- Honey (optional) – …2 tablespoons of honey (optional but highly recommended!), and…
- Coconut Aminos – …and a 1/4 cup of coconut aminos.
- Ghee – to sear the chops, you’ll use 2 tablespoons of garlic ghee, regular ghee, butter, olive oil, avocado oil, or another fat of choice.
How to Cook Pork Chops So They Are Juicy and Tender
Here’s how you’ll bring this pork chop recipe together:
- Boil the brine ingredients – whisk together all of the brine ingredients (water, sea salt, bay leaves, garlic, ACV, red pepper flakes, ginger, honey, and coconut aminos) in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil for 2-3 minutes until the salt is dissolved, then set aside and let cool.
- Brine – once the brine mixture has come to room temperature, pour it into a large bowl along with the pork chops. Let the chops brine for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove from brine + sear – add the ghee to a large cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat, then remove the pork chops from the brine, pat dry, and season with salt and black pepper on both sides. Add the brined and seasoned pork chops to the skillet, and pan sear for 3-4 minutes, until browned, then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Bake – place the seared pork chops in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- Let the pork chops rest, then serve and enjoy – remove the pork chops from the oven, and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.
Tips For Making The Best Pan Seared Pork Chops
Our biggest tip when it comes to truly delicious chops? Don’t skip or skimp on brining, searing, or baking! Here’s why each of these 3 ESSENTIAL steps work together to create the best pork chops ever:
The Brine
A typical brine is essentially saltwater that you use to “bathe” your raw proteins before cooking. Brines may sound like an extra, unnecessary step, but believe-you-me, they are WORTH IT. Especially when it comes to pork chops. When we allow our uncooked cuts of meat to sit in a bath of saltwater, a couple of things happen…
- The meat will be juicy and flavorful – saltwater will travel into the muscle tissue (think: osmosis) in an effort to establish an equilibrium with the surrounding medium. Even though all meats lose water while they’re cooked, this process results in a finished product that is juicier and more flavorful. It’s like plumping your meat up and also seasoning from within.
- The meat will be more tender – the salt will also encourage those muscle tissues to relax a bit, making for a more tender finished product.
The Sear
Here’s why searing the pork chops in a hot-hot pan is an essential step:
- It keeps the juices in – first, it creates a firm barrier so that more juice stays IN the cut while it finishes cooking.
- It creates a YUMMY crust – it also yields one of those oh-so-delicious crusts that we all just crave.
The Bake
While you can absolutely cook your pork chop entirely on the stove, I’m a big fan of an oven finish. After your initial sear on one side, I like to transfer the chops to an oven because the ambient temperature there helps finish cooking the pork chops evenly on all sides. You will get a fabulous crust on both sides and the outside (of a thicker chop) won’t become too tough as you wait for the inside to finish cooking.
What to Serve with Pork Chops
We love serving tender, juicy pork chops alongside a green veggie (think: a simple arugula salad, whole roasted brussels sprouts, oven-roasted green beans, or a generous helping of lemony kale) and a starchy side (think: quinoa, no-stir polenta, baked potatoes, or mushroom risotto.)
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Ingredients
For the Brine:
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 inches fresh ginger thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons honey (omit for Whole 30)
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
For the Pork Chops:
- 4, 1-inch-thick pork chops
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic ghee or other fat of choice
Instructions
- Combine all brine ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a boil for 2-3 minutes until the salt is dissolved, then set aside and let cool.
- Once water has come to room temperature, pour it into a large bowl along with the pork chops. Let brine for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Add ghee to a cast iron and heat over medium-high.
- Remove the pork chops from the brine, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the pork chops to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until browned, then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until slightly browned (they will continue to brown in the oven) then place in oven to cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove pork chops from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
Can I make the brine the night before and then brine the pork chops the next day? Is it okay to let pork chops sit in the brine overnight?
I wouldn’t let the pork chops sit in the brine for more than 4 hours, Nichole, but you could definitely make the brine ahead of time!
Hi, there!
I love your recipes but have recently had to go on the FODMAP diet. I noticed your recipes have that identification, however, honey and garlic are a high FODMAP food. Do you have recommendations for substitutions?
Hi, Kelly! In most cases, you can totally omit the two, but feel free to sub the honey with a sweetener of choice if you’d like!
Follow the exact recipe. The whole family lived them. Delicious.
Amazing! So glad you all loved them – thank you for sharing this with us!
I made exactly by recipe. They were fabulous!!!
Wahoo, so glad, Melody!!
Worked perfectly, and they were gobbled up! Will make these again for sure!
Awesome – so glad to hear it! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Hi there – if brining in a refrigerator should you take them out to bring them to room temperature? Or have you gone right from the refrigerator to searing?
You can go from the refrigerator to searing, Steve! Enjoy!
Wonderful! I made this a few weeks ago and would not make pork chops a different way from now on!
Question: can I do this with a duroc pork tenderloin as well?
So glad you loved it, Mary! It’s worth a try for sure!
Oh. My. Goodness!!!!!! This is by far the best pork chop recipe EVER!!! Thank you!!
YAY! So glad you love it, Kelly! Thank you for leaving this comment!
OMGoodness these are delicious!! Not that I had and doubt because every recipe from the site and Cook Once, Eat All Week have been HUGE hits in our house. This does not disappoint. I made a quick pan sauce with some unsalted bone broth and lemon juice for an optional drizzle. My 3 kids all asked for seconds and my husband raved about how good it was. Thanks for making me look good!!
That is awesome, thanks for sharing Mandy!
What size pork chops?
Ok, so it’s Sunday and I didn’t expect a response so made exactly as the recipe said, no rinsing, and they turned out amazing. Funny how if you follow the recipe things turn out how they’re supposed to cooked the chicken legs with the pork in the cast iron skillet just left them in longer and they turned or amazing too. Thanks for the recipe Cassy and Amber!
So glad you enjoyed them Robin!!
I have BB pork chops in the brine right now. Even made a double batch and have chicken legs going too, can’t wait. I know the recipe doesn’t indicate this but should they be rinsed before seasoning and cooking? Just want to make sure they are not too salty. Thank you!
Made these tonight in a “cook-off” with my husband, who swore that grilling pork chops was the best way to cook them. This way won, hands-down! Thanks for such a yummy recipe! Definitely going on menu rotation!
Oh my gosh I love the cook off! So glad these won!!
These are so great! I ended up marinating them overnight and they grilled up perfectly the next day! They were still moist reheated as leftovers. Trying the oven method tonight.
This looks so yummy!! Can the park chops be left on the counter while brining, even for 4 hours, or should it be refrigerated? And how much should each pork chop weigh?
I would refrigerate them just in case! I’d recommend looking for pork chops that are at least 1 inch and 6-8 ounces each.