Preparing homegrown food is either extremely complicated or insanely easy…
Depending on how you look at it.
Such is the case with homegrown meat. If you take into consideration the time and effort required in buying or breeding the animal, keeping it alive to butchering age, making sure you feed it properly and efficiently as possible, and then processing it into neatly wrapped packages, you’ll find yourself staring at the roast chicken or home-raised pork chop on your plate with a whole new appreciation. (Or you might also start wondering if you’re completely off your rocker for willingly partaking in this homestead thing…. But that’s a topic we’ll cover another day.)
However, when it comes to the cooking part, well, that’s when things are rather simple. Or rather, they should stay simple. When I’m working with homegrown meats or garden-raised veggies, I find myself wanting to stay as basic as possible with my additions or seasonings so the glory of the carefully-grown ingredients can shine to their full potential.
It’s a stark contrast to the cream soup-smothered casseroles or ketchup-drowned meatloaf of my youth… Amen?
When it comes to pork chops, Pinterest will give you two billion different options for cooking chops with stacks of canned soup, tomato sauce, and everything in between. I’ve tried a number of them, with not-so-happy (aka dry and chewy) results.
Therefore, allow me to share my most-favorite pan fried pork chop technique today. It’s so simple, it almost doesn’t feel like it should be a recipe, but it produces the most flavorful and tender pork chops I’ve yet to find. And if you raise your own hogs, you’ll especially love it because it allows the beauty of the homegrown pork shine right through.
Easy Pan Fried Pork Chops
- 4 pork chops, 1″ thick
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (I use Redmond Salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lard, bacon grease, or coconut oil (for frying)
Thirty minutes before cooking, remove the chops from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl.
In a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet), heat the lard or oil until it’s just barely starting to smoke. We want the skillet very hot so we get a nice sear on the chops.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the pork chops (both sides). Pat it or rub it in a bit too– just to make sure it sticks.
Place the pork chops in the hot pan (you may need two skillets, if your chops are on the large-side). The oil will likely pop a bit, so be careful.
Sear the meat until both sides have a lovely brown crust. This usually takes 2-3 minutes per side. If the pork chops have strips of fat along the edges, pick the pork chop up sideways and hold the fat-side in the pan to render it down a bit.
Once they are beautifully brown and crusty, transfer the pan(s) with pork chops into the preheated oven. Finish them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork is 145 degrees.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest 8-10 minutes before serving. I like serving these with mashed or roasted potatoes, or roasted cabbage.
Pan Fried Pork Chop Notes
- Bone-in or boneless pork chops will work, but I prefer bone-in as they have more flavor
- Some similar recipes call for adding flour to the seasoning mix. I’ve found we don’t really miss it, plus, this option works better for gluten-free folks anyway.
- It’s crucial to finish the pork chops in the oven, not the skillet, as this keeps them from drying out.
- Be super careful not to overcook these guys– overcooking will make them dry and icky.
- Here’s how to render your own lard. Because lard is beautiful, y’all.
- Feel free to play around with the seasoning mix. Cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, or crushed herbs (sage, oregano, thyme) would all be yummy additions to the spice rub.
Easy Pan Fried Pork Chops
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish - Pork
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops, 1″ thick (Bone-in or boneless will work– but I prefer bone-in, as they have more flavor)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (I use Redmond Salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lard, bacon grease, or coconut oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Thirty minutes before cooking, remove the chops from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl.
- In a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet), heat the lard or oil until it’s just barely starting to smoke. We want the skillet nice and hot so we get a nice sear on the chops.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the pork chops (both sides). Pat it or rub it in a bit too– just to make sure it sticks.
- Place the pork chops in the hot pan (you may need two skillets, if your chops are on the large-side). The oil will likely pop a bit, so be careful.
- Sear the meat until both sides have a lovely brown crust. This usually takes 2-3 minutes per side.
- Once you are nice and crusty, transfer the pan(s) into the preheated oven. Finish the pork chops in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork is 145 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest 8-10 minutes before serving.
Yum! Great pictures!
Delicious! So easy too. I ordered your cookbook today, can’t wait to try more recipes.
I’m a city girl but I want to say that I LOVE to look at your site.
It’s deliciously lovely, easy to read and totally inviting. After
just spending way too much on my new one which isn’t up
quite yet, I see what I “shoulda” done and didn’t. Best wishes
to you. Whoever you cook for is one lucky person!
Aw, thanks Emmy! So glad you’re enjoying the blog!
I don’t have an oven proof skillet. Would it be OK to transfer them to a baking dish to finish in the oven? Do you think the pan drippings would make a good gravy?
In my humble opinion, I think pan drippings are ALWAYS the best foundation for a gravy. Yes, transferring them to an oven proof baking dish should work fine. I’d just suggest you pre-heat the oven proof dish along with pre-heating the oven.
– Mrs.B
I agree about the pan drippings! 🙂
Hi Jill,
Usually the first direction in a recipe is … pre-heat the oven.
Then 6 – 8 – 15 minutes later the recipe says (now) put whatever you are cooking in the oven.
Have you ever actually timed the oven heating up?
New ovens heat up fairly fast. I suppose few people – possibly only me – wonder how much electricity or gas is consumed preheating ovens in America.
Purveyors of gas and electricity scoff at the insignificance of turning on the oven when you actually need it. Over time it adds up.
Does not every flood start with just one rain drop?
I totally agree! I don’t turn on the the oven until I’m almost ready to put whatever I’m making in it. Mine takes about 5 mins to heat up. Sometimes Im a little on the slow side for the prep work I think. 😉
I agree with Adrienne.
Good Morning Jill,
This is the same method I use to fry pork chops – they always come out beautiful.
Since I prefer my steak well-done, after searing them on both sides on a screaming hot grill, I also use this oven method (transferring them to an oven proof dish that has been pre-heated in the oven) to finish them off. This method produces a tender, moist well-done steak, just like your pork chops.
Blessings to you and yours,
Mrs.B
Definitely– love making my steaks this way, too!
Hi Jill,
I love your website. When I saw your cabbage I knew I had to write.
This past summer we planted lots of flowers and vegetables……. only to get nothing in return!
For some reason we were deluged with all kinds of critters. My husband set our Have a Heart trap and caught many different little things, even our neighbor’s dog haha! But it never stopped our gardens from being ravaged.
Now I don’t live anywhere near the country. I live in a neighborhood in the suburbs. One day I saw a woodchuck literally eating a zinnia flower. I just gave up. I am now getting some lovely zinnias. Not sure why they left me some but I have some. We didn’t get one vegetable. Also they don’t seem to bother my perennials so I’m glad I have a lot of them or I would have no flowers at all !
Anyway, I just decided to let it go and think about next year when it gets here. I buy a lot from local farmers. glad to have them!
You are bursting with good health- you are a beautiful woman!!!
Thanks,
Sue
Aw, thanks for your kind comment, Sue! And woodchucks!! Who woulda thought?! 🙂
I just made this recipe tonight and I have to tell you, the pork chops were spectacular! My husband was less than enthusiastic about trying it because he’s not a fan of pork chops (“too dry”, he says) but after the first bite he said “these are great”. Half way through supper he said he wants these on a regular basis! Thank you for sharing your recipe and for a great web site!
Hooray! So glad he liked them! 🙂
Not being taught to cook this way I see all the cooking shows finish all the meats in the oven. I just learned to sear not cook to long on the stove to make juicy delicous steaks, chops, fish, etc. On the stove. Its all in how you learn, I guess.
Yup– lots of different ways to get the job done. 🙂
I was never a fan of pan fried chops because I assumed they’d be dry, but tonight I was in a hurry so I thought I’d try it. This may be the only way I’ll cook pork chops from now on. They were FANTASTIC – so easy, and fast! And SO tender! Still can’t believe it. Thanks for sharing such a great technique.
Hooray!! Glad you loved it!
Great pork chops with mashed potatoes and home grown squash
Must you cover the cast iron skillet in the oven or can you do it lidless??
Used this to fix pork chops for work packed lunches this weekend, they look beautiful -perfect color, and are very moist. Doesn’t quite make up for working this weekend but good lunches help!
Hi. Do they rest in the same pan or plated?
Resting in same pan or plated?
Cant wait to try this !
Oops. I didn’t think the first one went through. ??
This is a great way to prepare pork chops…delicious and easy!
Do you cover the pan with a lid for the oven?
Thank you! I breaded and floured mine. Then followed the recipe and it was amazing!
These were just perfect! The only thing i changed was an edge slicing method i use to prevent the pork chops from buckling while cooking, resulting in a more even sear and bake. All i do is slice through the edge fat till it reaches the meat, careful not to cut through the meat, i do this at every inch around the whole chop… There are several videos that show this method, real quick and easy!
These look so yummy and simple to make! I will be trying this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing!
Love the recipe! We normally grill pork chops outside but it was cold and we decided to try your recipe. This will be our way to cook pork chops from now on. Thanks!
I’m not sure what happened, but our pork chops came out really dry and tough. I even used the maple glaze. I would guess that would mean they were overcooked, but I really tried not to overcook them, and cooked them for the low end of the time listed for the recipe in the cookbook (7 min.). Was it the meat or was it just overcooked? Good flavor, just tough. This is why I never cook pork chops except in the slow cooker.