Baked Pork Chops

By Melissa Knific

Updated May 28, 2024

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
4 hours 25 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ dry brining
Rating
5(1,368)
Comments
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For the juiciest, most golden pork chops, a few things need to happen. Dry brining, or rubbing the meat with salt (and in this case, spices) at least 4 hours ahead of cooking, results in deeply seasoned chops that won’t be dry. Here, a mixture of common pantry spices make for a flavorful, barbecue-inspired blend. A little brown sugar in the brine, a pat of butter in the skillet and a quick high-heat sear ensures a browned crust. From there, the pork chops are baked just shy of doneness; they’ll come to temperature as they rest. Use bone-in or boneless chops that are somewhere between ¾- and 1-inch thick. Serve these alongside classic mashed potatoes, applesauce and a simple green vegetable, such as green beans.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons sweet or smoked paprika or a combination

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • 4 boneless pork chops (about 1 ½ pounds) or bone-in pork chops (about 2 pounds), ¾- to 1-inch thick (see Tip)

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more if needed

  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

  • Chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

3 grams carbs; 164 milligrams cholesterol; 457 calories; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 559 milligrams sodium; 47 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium bowl, combine salt, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, ground mustard and pepper. Mix with fingers, breaking up any clumps, until blended.

  2. Step 2

    Pat pork chops dry with paper towels then place in the bowl. Rub all over with the spice mixture, turning a few times to make sure the chops are evenly coated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, transfer pork to a large resealable plastic bag, if needed for fridge space.) About 30 minutes before cooking, remove pork from the fridge to take off the chill.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron or oven-safe skillet over high heat. When hot, add the oil. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook until browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute, adding more oil or butter if the pan is dry, then transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pork reaches 140 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes. Using an oven mitt, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the chops and any pan juices to a platter or individual plates to rest for 5 minutes; the temperature will increase to 145 degrees. Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve immediately.

Tip

  • If using bone-in pork chops, make sure they’re ¾- to 1-inch thick (not thick-cut pork chops). These are sometimes called rib-cut chops (not center-cut) and are often found alongside boneless pork chops.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,368 user ratings
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Comments

Noel Rodriguez

Using a small amount of Baking Soda in your dry rub, (salt, pepper, & herbs), will guarantee these Pork Chops will be tender.

Barbara

Made this tonight—absolutely delicious, and I’ll make it again. After the chops came out of the oven there wasn’t much in the way of juices left in the pan, but there were lots of nice savory bits. While the chops were resting I deglazed the pan with some white wine and swirled in a half tablespoon or so of butter once the liquid had reduced. I poured that over the rested chops and—just wonderful. I used half sweet/half smoked paprika. The chops were about 3/4 inches thick. So good.

Ted S

Since I have heard the ads touting "the other white meat", I wondered whether pork was considered red or white. The USDA answered this for me: "Pork is classified a red meat because it contains more myoglobin than chicken or fish. When fresh pork is cooked, it becomes lighter in color, but it is still a red meat. Pork is classed as 'livestock' along with veal, lamb, and beef. All livestock are considered red meat.

Lou-Ellen Barkan

Made as suggested with 2 bone chops. Perfect!

jocelyn

I followed recipe except grilled instead of baked. They were excellent. This rub is perfection.

Wendelah

As good as this tasted, I will be reluctant to make it again because of the cleanup. I made one bone-in chop in an 8 inch skillet. Followed the recipe up to the point where it needed to be transferred to an oven. My toaster oven was recalled so I finished it on the cooktop. Grease splattered everywhere, the cast-iron skillet requires a good scrub, even with 75 years of patina or whatever it's called. It's going to take an eternity to get my tiny kitchen back to its usual state of grime.

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