Name: Pan Fried Pork Chops
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 kg, 2.5 cm thick; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 40 g butter; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 sprigs thyme; 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Pan Fried Pork Chops

Thick-cut pork chops seared for 5 minutes a side in a hot pan, then basted with butter, garlic and thyme until just cooked through.

17 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

Keep the heat high for the sear and low for the finish. Pork chops go wrong in the pan because the outside burns before the middle is done, and the cure is two stages: a hard sear to build colour, then a gentle finish with butter to bring the centre up to temperature without drying it.

Choose chops about 2.5 cm thick with the bone in, and pat them completely dry. Season with salt and pepper just before they go in the pan. A heavy frying pan, preheated for a couple of minutes, gives the best crust. Add a spoonful of oil, lay the chops away from you, and do not touch them for 4 minutes.

Baste for the last 3 minutes. Turn the heat down, add a knob of butter, crushed garlic and thyme, tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the chops repeatedly. This flavours the meat and keeps the surface moist while the centre finishes.

Pull the chops out at 63°C / 145°F and rest them for 5 minutes. They will be faintly blush pink and juicy, which is how pork is meant to be eaten. Spoon the pan butter over and serve with something to soak it up.

The Method for Pan Fried Pork Chops

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Pat the chops dry and season both sides with the salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add the chops and sear for 4 minutes without moving them.
Turn, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic and thyme. Cook for 4 minutes, spooning the butter over the chops.
Check that a thermometer reads 63°C / 145°F at the thickest part. Transfer to a plate and rest for 5 minutes.
Spoon over the pan butter and serve with the lemon wedges.

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Tips That Matter

Do not move the chops while they sear.
Cook to 63°C / 145°F and rest.
Baste with the butter at the end.

If You're Missing Something

An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What to Serve With It

Mashed potatoes · Apple sauce · Green beans · Roast carrots

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Artisan Sourdough Bread, New York Bagels, Creamy Coleslaw.

Leftovers and Storage

Best eaten fresh. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge.