Honey Garlic Pork Chops
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 with a sweet, salty, and garlicky honey sauce spooned over the top. I dry brine and reverse sear them so they never dry out, making this the perfect dinner recipe to serve to my family.
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.
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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 2gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 565mgPotassium: 115mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 412IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg