This is an incredibly simple dish to make no matter the time of year. Searing these bone-in pork chops after a slow oven roast keeps them extremely juicy. The sweet, salty, and garlicky honey sauce spooned over the top takes them to the next level. I dry brine and reverse sear them so they never dry out, making them the perfect dinner for my family.
Pork chops are the recipe I get more questions on than almost anything else. It is almost always the same problem: they come out dry. That is an overcooking issue, not a pork issue, and the whole reason I cook them the way I do here. If you already have your method down, my grilled pork chops and my pan-fried pork chops are two more I’d recommend trying. This honey garlic version is what shows up on busy school nights when I want something flavorful without much work.
Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Honey garlic pork chops are seared pork chops finished in a quick pan sauce of honey, garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar, balanced sweet, salty, umami, a little sour, and a little hot. The sauce has an Asian profile and follows the same idea as many glazy skillet sauces, where sugar, salt, acid, and heat are reduced together until they coat the meat.
Now I did go the extra mile here and dry brined and reverse seared these, which is the same logic as my pork chop brine. The salt has time to season all the way through and hold onto moisture, and the low oven takes the guesswork out of the doneness. If you would rather not go that route, I share a regular process below that still gives you delicious, juicy pork chops every time. The sauce I make for these pork chops, by the way, is not just for pork. I have spooned it over chicken, thinly sliced beef, and a steakier fish like swordfish or tuna. It works on all of them because sweet, salty, umami, acid, and a little heat complement just about any protein.
I highly recommend making this on a busy weeknight when you want something incredibly flavorful. It’s especially great for those hectic school nights when you need an easy dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Honey garlic pork chops are 2 recipes in 1. The seared chops and the pan sauce. Here is everything for both, along with the swaps that work:
- Bone-in pork chops – Double-thick bone-in chops are the hero here. The thickness is what gives you time to get a sear without racing past medium on the inside. Use a rib chop or a center-cut loin chop, which looks like a little T-bone. Both are great, and the bone adds flavor either way.
- A neutral, high smoke point fat is what produces a real Maillard crust on the chops without overcooking them. Avocado oil, lard, or ghee all work.
- Unsalted butter – Unsalted lets me control the salt in the sauce. It slow-cooks the garlic and finishes the sauce with richness and a glossy sheen.
- Garlic – Thinly sliced cloves so there is a little garlic to taste in every spoonful, not just background flavor. Mince it fine if you prefer. If all you have is dried, use a third as much since the ratio is 3 to 1 fresh to dry.
- Dried Thai chile – A mild-to-hot dried Thai chile chopped up breaks into just the right sizes for a little heat. Swap the same amount of crushed red pepper flakes, or use one fresh Fresno with the seeds and pith removed.
- Rice wine vinegar – Seasoned rice wine vinegar brightens the sauce and fits the other Asian flavors. Plain white distilled vinegar is a fine substitute.
- Chicken stock adds richness and umami to the base of the sauce. Water works if you’d like.
- Soy sauce – Any good shoyu or tamari brings umami and natural salt to the sauce.
- Light amber honey is the natural sweetness that balances the salt and heat, and it complements pork perfectly. I can’t wait for you to try it.
- Dijon mustard adds sharpness so the sauce is not one-note sweet.
- A little fresh lemon juice at the end brightens the whole sauce and keeps the sweetness in check.
- Green onions add a mild onion punch without taking over. Chives are a good stand-in.
- Salt and pepper – Kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal) and fresh-ground pepper season the pork. Season once and taste twice.
How to Make Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Dry brine the chops: Pat the pork chops dry on all sides with paper towels. Set them on a rack over a sheet tray, and season all sides with salt. Refrigerate them uncovered for 4 to 24 hours. This is what seasons the meat all the way through and helps it hold moisture during cooking.
Reverse sear in the oven: Season the chops with pepper. Insert a thermometer into the center of one. Then, roast on the middle rack at 250°F until they reach 115°F to 118°F internally, about 45 minutes.
Heat the pan: Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Let it get hot until it starts to smoke lightly.
Sear the fat cap: Hold 2 chops at a time with tongs, fat cap side down in the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes to brown the ends and render that edge.
Sear the sides: Lay the chops flat and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Lower the heat a little if they color too fast. Flip and cook another 2 minutes, until they reach 135°F to 140°F internally. That crust is where a lot of the flavor comes from, so give it the full time before you flip. Rest the chops on a rack and repeat with the remaining 2.
Cool the pan and cook the aromatics: Pour off the cooking oil and let the pan cool for 2 to 3 minutes off the heat. Over low heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the garlic and chile for 30 to 45 seconds.
Deglaze and reduce: Deglaze with the vinegar and cook over medium heat until only 1 to 2 tablespoons remain. Add the chicken stock and soy sauce and reduce for 1 to 2 minutes.
Finish the sauce: Stir in the honey and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Lower the heat and mix in the Dijon, the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, the lemon juice, and the green onions. Taste it and adjust.
Coat and serve: Set the chops back into the sauce to warm through for a minute. Serve with optional sliced Fresnos, more pepper flakes, or extra green onions over the top.
Chef Tip + Notes
The keys to success with these pork chops are making sure they’re properly seasoned and not overcooked. Back in my restaurant days, we temped pork chops. If the ticket didn’t specify otherwise, we sent them out medium, right around 140°F to 145 F. Once a chop climbs past 160 F to 165 F, it loses a huge amount of moisture and dries out, so use an instant-read thermometer and take the guesswork out of it. I recommend taking the chops out at 135 F to 140 F and letting them rest. It is guaranteed to be juicy.
- Buy thick, not thin, trust me, thin chops give you no window. They race from raw to overcooked in a couple of minutes, and there is not enough fat in them to stay moist. Always buy thick-cut, ideally double thick bone-in.
- Let the pan cool before the butter and garlic: If the pan is too hot when the butter and garlic go in, both burn, and you start the sauce over. Let it sit off the heat for a few minutes first.
- Skip the reverse sear if you want: For a simpler version with no dry brine, preheat the oven to 350 F. Pat and season the chops, sear them fat cap down for 2 minutes, then flat on each side for 2 minutes until golden. Insert a thermometer, move them to a middle rack at 350 F, and cook 12 to 13 minutes until they read 135 F to 140 F. Rest, then make the sauce the same way.
Serving Suggestions
On a weeknight, I like serving these chops with tray of mustard roasted potatoes to catch all the delicious sauce. I almost always slide a pan of roasted broccoli into the oven so there is something green on the plate. Lately my daughter has been requesting monkey bread for dessert, so more nights than I would like to admit we finish sweet and sticky fingered right after the pork.
When a friend came over recently, I went a little bigger with it. We are in peak veggies season, so I made confit byaldi, and it was a total success. I started the whole thing off with a pot of my easy tomato soup. The chops were the centerpiece, but honestly nobody at that table stopped eating until the byaldi dish was scraped empty. Ha!
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: I make the sauce up to a week ahead and keep it in the fridge, then warm it as needed, since it takes about 10 minutes and only gets better sitting. The chops are best eaten right when they finish cooking so they hold that juicy 140°F center, but I can keep them warm covered in the sauce over no heat for up to 20 minutes before serving.
How to Store: Store leftover chops in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze the chops covered for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator for a day before reheating.
How to Reheat: I reheat the chops, covered and without the sauce, in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until warm, and heat the sauce separately in a small pan over low heat until hot.
More Easy Pork Chop Recipes
- Pork Milanese
- Maple Glazed Pork Chops
- Grilled Bone-In Pork Chops
- Pork Chops with Apples
- Juicy Pork Tenderloin
Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 12-14 ounce bone-in double thick cut pork chops
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or lard, or any high smoke point cooking oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6-8 thinly sliced garlic cloves
- 1 roughly chopped mild to hot dried Thai chile
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 thinly sliced green onions
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat dry the pork chops on all sides with paper towels. Next, place them on a rack over a sheet tray and season them with salt on all sides. Place them in the fridge uncovered for 4 to 24 hours to optionally dry brine.
- Once you’re ready to cook them, season with pepper, add in a thermometer and place them on a middle rack at 250° F until they reach 115 to 118° internally, which takes right at 45 minutes.
- Remove the pork chops and set them to the side. In the meantime, add the oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Once the oil begins to lightly smoke hold the pork chops in tongs two at a time and hold them fat cap side down in the pan and cook for just 2 minutes to help brown up the ends.
- Then turn lay down the pork in the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Adjust the heat down a bit it starts to get too brown too quickly. See my video on what I like to do for end-to-end Maillard brown crust.
- Flip the pork over and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until it reaches 135° to 140° internally. Set it to the side in a rack to rest and repeat the process with the remaining 2 pork chops.
- Remove the cooking oil from the pan and let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Then over low heat add in 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the garlic and chile for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Next, deglaze with the vinegar and cook over medium heat until only 1 to 2 tablespoons remains. Then, pour in the chicken stock and soy sauce and reduce down for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the honey and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until it begins to thicken up a bit. Turn the heat to low and mix in the Dijon, remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, lemon juice, and green onions. Taste it and make sure it’s delicious.
- Place the pork chops back in the sauce to heat up for a minute and serve with optional garnishes of sliced fresnos, pepper flakes, or more sliced green onions.
Honey Garlic Pork Chops