Juicy Thick Cut Pork Chops, Pan Seared + Oven Baked

thick cut pork chop served on a white plate with a side salad

Juicy Thick Cut Pork Chops, Pan Seared + Oven Baked

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Budget-Friendly, Easy, Family Friendly, Make-Ahead, Oven-Roasted, Pan-Seared, Pork

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Marinating Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 470kcal

Author: Marilyn

Juicy and full of flavor, this thick cut pork chops recipe takes everyday pork chops and escalates their taste to a whole new level. They are easy to make, require little more than a handful of ingredients and are done in under 30 minutes plus 1 hour of marinating time.

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Ingredients

⅔ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ cup kosher salt Diamond Crystal
2 tablespoons molasses
10 cloves garlic, crushed
4 bay leaves, crumbled
8 whole cloves
2-½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 bone-in pork chops, about 1-½ to 2 inches thick 12 ounces each
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 2 cups of water until hot, but not boiling. Stir in the sugar, salt and molasses until dissolved. Add the garlic, bay leaves, cloves and black pepper. Set aside and let mixture cool to room temperature.
Place an open 1 gallon zip-lock bag in a bowl and carefully pour the marinade into the bag. Add the pork chops, press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Keep the bag with the marinade and pork chops in the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning the bag once.
Remove the pork chops from the brine and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Discard the brine.
Preheat oven to 450°F with an oven rack in the lower-middle position.
In a large heavy-bottom skillet over high heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chops to the skillet and cook, 2 minutes or until the chops are browned and a crust has formed. Using tongs, turn the chops and cook 2 more minutes or until the chops are browned and a crust has formed on the other side.
Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the center of each chop registers 125° to 130°F.
Transfer chops to a platter and cover loosely with foil; let rest about 5 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 145°F.
Serve chops immediately.

Notes

This recipe is easily halved for 2 people or doubled or tripled. If making more than 4 pork chops, pan sear the chops in batches. While the oven in preheating, place a large rimmed sheet pan in the oven. Transfer the pork chops to the sheet pan to bake.

Use a large enough skillet to prevent the chops from being crowded while browning. If necessary, you can brown them in batches.

Make sure the foil covers the chops very loosely.

Nutrition: The calorie count nutrient profile includes all the ingredients that are in the brine. Many of these ingredients will be discarded, so the calorie count will be less. However, because there is little way to know how much is absorbed by the pork chops we cannot calculate the nutritional values closer to the real values.

Substitutions:

Diamond Crystal kosher salt can be replaced with ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt or 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of table salt.

Coarsely ground pepper (2-½ teaspoons) can be replaced with 3 tablespoons of whole peppercorns

Whole cloves (8) can be replaced with ¾ teaspoon of ground cloves.

Make ahead:

The pork chops can be prepared up to 4 hours before cooking. Marinate the chops as directed. Then, remove the chops from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. Do not cover them. Refrigerate them for up to 3 hours before cooking.

Storage and Food Safety:

Fresh pork chops can be refrigerated in an airtight container to 3 to 5 days or frozen for 4 to 6 months.

Cooked pork chops can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 2 to 3 months.

Do not reuse the liquids that the raw pork was marinating in.

*This recipe has been adapted from America's Test Kitchen where I am a recipe tester.

Nutrition