Name: Skillet Barbecued Pork Chops
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup barbecue sauce; 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 4 bone-in rib or center-cut pork chops (see note); 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

Center-cut, bone-in pork chops worked best here. The bone added valuable flavor to our Skillet Barbecued Pork Chops and prevented them from drying out. Adding brown sugar to the spice mixture encouraged a crust to form on the pork when cooked. Patting the chops dry before cooking also facilitated the formation of the crust. Making sure we properly heated the pan before adding the meat was essential to a juicy, flavorful chop—cooking in a pan that wasn’t properly preheated led to chops that overcooked. We found heating a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with a little oil until the oil smoked was ideal.

Before You Begin

Bull's-Eye brand barbecue sauce is the test kitchen favorite. To prevent the chops from curling as they cook, cut 2 slits about two inches apart through the fat and connective tissue on 1 side of each chop.

Instructions

Whisk barbecue sauce and vinegar in small bowl. Combine sugar, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne in separate bowl. Whisk 1 teaspoon spice mixture into barbecue sauce mixture.

Pat chops dry with paper towels and rub all over with remaining spice mixture. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chops until well browned, about 4 minutes per side.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Brush chops with barbecue sauce mixture, flip, and cook until sauce is caramelized, about 1 minute. Brush once more with sauce, flip, and cook until second side is caramelized and meat registers 145 degrees, about 1 minute longer. Serve, passing remaining sauce at table.