Pan-Seared Thick-Cut, Bone-In Pork Chops
By Annie PetitoPublished on November 29, 2021
Time
30 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If you have time, salt the chops for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours before cooking: Sprinkle each chop with 1½ teaspoons of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (if using Morton, which is denser, use only 1⅛ teaspoons), refrigerate them, and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking. If the pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not salt the chops ahead. Make sure to include the bones when serving; they're great for nibbling. The chops can be served plain, with our Creamy Apple-Mustard Sauce, or Maple Agrodolce.
Instructions
- Pat chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with pepper. Place chops 1 inch apart in cold 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet, arranging so narrow part of 1 chop is opposite wider part of second. Place skillet over high heat and cook chops for 2 minutes. Flip chops and cook on second side for 2 minutes. (Neither side of chops will be browned at this point.)
- Flip chops; reduce heat to medium; and continue to cook, flipping chops every 2 minutes, until exterior is well browned and meat registers 140 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer. (Chops should be sizzling; if not, increase heat slightly. Reduce heat if skillet starts to smoke.)
- Transfer chops to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Carve meat from bone and slice ½ inch thick. (When carving chops, meat at tapered end near bone may retain slightly pink hue despite being cooked.) Season meat with coarse or flake sea salt to taste. Serve with bones.
Time
30 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Achieving deeply browned, juicy bone-in pork chops starts with choosing the right chop: We settled on 1½-inch-thick rib chops, which were thick enough to build up a browned exterior before cooking through. We started the chops in a cold (not preheated) nonstick skillet over high heat and flipped them every 2 minutes so that the meat's temperature increased gradually, allowing a crust to build up on the outside without overcooking the interior. Starting the chops in a cold pan helped the meat heat up slowly and evenly, and using a nonstick pan meant that no oil was necessary. Starting over high heat drove off moisture and prevented the chops from steaming, and lowering the heat to medium encouraged browning without smoking. Slicing the chops and sprinkling with coarse or flake sea salt ensured that they were well seasoned.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
If you have time, salt the chops for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours before cooking: Sprinkle each chop with 1½ teaspoons of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (if using Morton, which is denser, use only 1⅛ teaspoons), refrigerate them, and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking. If the pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not salt the chops ahead. Make sure to include the bones when serving; they're great for nibbling. The chops can be served plain, with our Creamy Apple-Mustard Sauce, or Maple Agrodolce.
Instructions
- Pat chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with pepper. Place chops 1 inch apart in cold 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet, arranging so narrow part of 1 chop is opposite wider part of second. Place skillet over high heat and cook chops for 2 minutes. Flip chops and cook on second side for 2 minutes. (Neither side of chops will be browned at this point.)
- Flip chops; reduce heat to medium; and continue to cook, flipping chops every 2 minutes, until exterior is well browned and meat registers 140 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer. (Chops should be sizzling; if not, increase heat slightly. Reduce heat if skillet starts to smoke.)
- Transfer chops to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Carve meat from bone and slice ½ inch thick. (When carving chops, meat at tapered end near bone may retain slightly pink hue despite being cooked.) Season meat with coarse or flake sea salt to taste. Serve with bones.
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