The most perfect, juicy pork chop you’ve ever had! You’ll never want to go back to cooking it any other way!

Two, juicy, bone-in cooked pork chops on a white plate.

Sous Vide Pork Chops

Say good-bye to dried out pork! This sous vide pork chop stays juicy and moist through the cooking process and is finished with the perfect sear in a cast iron skillet. The recipe and method are super simple to follow and deliver big on flavor!

Sous Vide Pork Chops Ingredients

You just need a few simple ingredients (if you even consider salt and pepper ingredients!) to make this recipe. But don’t let the simplicity fool you, I’m confident it will be one of the best pork chops you’ve ever tasted!

Two, raw bone-in pork chops on an epicurean cutting board with a jar of sea salt and pepper grinder on a marble surface.

Pork Chops – to start, you’ll need 2 bone-in pork chops (about 1.5” thick and lb each).
Salt – to simply and effectively season, you’ll use ½ of a teaspoon of salt and…
Pepper – a ¼ teaspoon of ground, black pepper.
Ghee (or oil) – to finish your pork chops after they have cooked, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil.

Ingredient Modifications

The simplicity of this recipe keeps the flavors really pure, but feel free to have fun with adding additional flavor! Here are some ideas:

Spice it up – use different dry seasonings for your pork chop. Garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, or cumin are really tasty. I also like this Coffee BBQ blend from Balanced Bites. Generously coat your pork chops before putting them in the bag.
Add fresh herbs – for a really tasty, fresh note, add herbs to the bag with a tablespoon of oil to help draw out and infuse the flavor. Some of my favorites are sage, rosemary, and thyme.

What is the difference between cooking sous vide boneless pork chops and sous vide bone in pork chops?

The main difference between cooking sous vide boneless pork chops versus bone-in pork chops is your overall cook time. The bones impact how the heat is distributed throughout the chop, so will take longer than a boneless pork chop to cook, approximately half an hour longer. Flavor-wise, you won’t see a big difference between bone-in and boneless pork chops when cooking sous vide style.

Can you use frozen pork chops for sous vide?

Yes! One of the benefits about cooking sous vide is that you don’t have to have defrosted meat. You can put the frozen pork chop straight into the water with the precision cooker and let it cook. If cooking from frozen, you’ll want to adjust the cooking time, adding about an hour to total cook time.

Should I marinate pork chops before sous vide?

Cooking sous vide allows the meat to cook very slowly and really develop its own natural flavors, so you don’t have to marinate before cooking. If you want to add additional flavors, you can put your favorite marinade into the bag and the flavors will infuse throughout the cooking process. Again, no need to marinate in advance!

Supplies Needed to Make this Recipe

The equipment is actually really straightforward to sous vide from home! All you really need is a sous vide machine itself (this is the part you plug in that sits in the water and controls the temperature), a bag to cook your food in, and a bucket or pot of water. I’ve personally used a handful of the top sous vides on the market and the one below is my absolute favorite.

The Anova Sous Vide is the most highly-rated sous vide – the sous vide itself is a gadget that controls the temperature of the water and keeps it whirling in your pot. It’s slick, easy to use, compact, and will work with any container you already have on hand. I really love mine.

As for the other pieces of equipment, there are some options. You will need some kind of waterproof bag to cook your food in, and you’ll want to be able to remove all the air from this bag so that the food and whatever flavors or marinades in the bag infuse with each other without any air interfering. Here are some bag options:

SousBear bag kit: these bags are neat in that they come with a hand pump that you can use to remove the air, in addition to little clips you’d use to secure your bag to the side wall of the container. This system works as long as the vacuum seal hole stays above the water line. A pro of this system is that it doesn’t require a large vacuum sealer while a con is that you have to secure the bag to the side wall (vs. just plopping the bag in the water).
Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer: this is the vacuum sealer featured in the photos above! I love it, but I’d definitely consider it a luxury kitchen gadget. It’s very easy to use, it both removes the air and adds a quick seal to a bag, and stores easily in a drawer.
Anova Vacuum Sealer Bags: I do love these pre-cut vacuum sealer bags from Anova. They fit perfectly in with the vacuum sealer (for obvious reasons), don’t leak, and are pretty minimal. They also freeze really well if you’re ever wanting to stock your freezer with sous vide goodies.
Plastic ziplock bags: yes, you can sous vide in your ordinary freezer bag! Do your best to remove the air from it (you know, the “squish and roll” method), and pop it right in.
Silicone ziplock bags: even though most sous vide bags are BPA-free, you may still prefer a silicone option. These will work in just about any sous vide setup! My favorite brand is the Stasher bag because they’re incredibly versatile (you can pop popcorn in them, use them to carry snacks, and even sous vide a chicken breast).
A bucket: this Rubbermaid 12-quart bucket is the exact bucket I have, but please know you do NOT need one. You can use a large pot and it will work just as well. I do love this bucket and find myself using it to brine larger proteins, but again, it’s a luxury buy (in my opinion).

How to Make Sous Vide Pork Chops

Don’t be intimidated by the process! You’re just a few steps (and very little hands-on time) away from a perfectly juicy sous vide pork chop!

Two, raw bone-in pork chops on a cutting board seasoned with salt and pepper.

Two bone-in pork chops in a sous vide bag.

Two bone-in pork chops in a sous vide bag in water cooking sous vide style.

Two cooked, bone-in pork chops in a sous vide bag sitting next to a pair of tongs on top of a white and blue striped towel.

Two bone-in pork chops searing in a square cast iron grill pan.

Season and vacuum seal – to start, season the pork chops with sea salt and cracked black pepper, then place in a sous vide bag. Vacuum seal.
Sous vide – cook the pork chops at 140°F for at least 1 hour (up to 4 hours).
Sear – add the ghee or oil to a cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add the pork chops to the pan. Sear for about 2 minutes per side, until a crust forms.
Remove from heat – remove the pork chops from the skillet to a cutting board or plate and let rest for 10 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

How long can I leave pork in sous vide?

You can leave your pork chops in sous vide for a minimum of 1 hours, up to 4 hours.

What is the best temperature to sous vide pork chops?

The following are recommended cooking temperatures depending on the level of doneness you want for your pork chops:

Medium (warm/light pink center): 140°F
Medium well (nearly white center): 150°F
Well done (white center): 160°F

*The USDA recommends recommends cooking your pork to 145°F, so if cooking to medium (like we did in this recipe), reverse searing in the pan afterwards should bring the chop up to temp at 145°F

Can you over cook pork chops sous vide?

It is very difficult to overcook your meat using this method because of the gentle, slow cooking under a controlled temperature. However, you don’t want to leave your pork chops in the water bath much longer than 4 hours because you risk significant textural changes (i.e., a mushy pork chop).

How can you tell when sous vide pork chops are done?

Your sous vide pork chops should be done after 1 hour of cooking. You can also absolutely use a meat thermometer to check the doneness of your pork chop (once it’s out of the bag), but rest assured that if your sous vide is set to a pork-safe temperature (anywhere between 140°F to 160°F) and your pork chop has been in the water at least an hour, it should definitely be cooked through!

Can pork chops be a little pink?

Yes! I know it can seem a little scary to see a little pink on your pork chop (and this is a big reason pork gets such a bad rep for being dry). A medium cook on your pork chop will give you the most moist and juicy chop and is completely safe by USDA standards to eat. Just make sure your internal temperature reaches 145°F.

What dishes go well with a sous vide pork chop recipe?

This pork chop recipe pairs really well with:

How do you store sous vide pork chops?

To store your sous vide pork chops, place them in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 3 days.

Storing and Reheating Sous Vide Pork Chops

Store your sous vide pork chops just as you would any other leftover pork chops – in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stored this way, it’ll last for up to 5 days!

To reheat your sous vide pork chops, you have some options:

Microwave your pork chop for about 1.5 to 2 minutes on high.
Pan-sear for 3-4 minutes on each side (ideally, in a bit of olive oil) until it’s warmed through.
Put it on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Pop it in the air fryer at 350°F for 5-10 minutes (it’ll take longer if your pork chop is un-cut or larger in size).