Broiled Pork Chops

Broiled pork chops are thick and flavorful, tender and juicy on the inside with a crispy, golden brown crust. A simple salty brine locks in flavor and makes these bone-in pork chops extra juicy. Bottom line: these are simply the best oven broiled pork chops, and they’re so simple to make, too!

Our easy broiled pork chops recipe features all the best things. Thick pork chops, a salty-sweet brine, and the perfect seasoning blend. These ingredients will add a tremendous amount of flavor to your pork chops.

And while the brine does require an extra step, it’s the secret ingredient to turning average pork chops into delicious, oven broiled pork with maximum flavor!

While you can certainly enjoy them plain, we love them with a spicy salsa sauce or with another favorite sauce and ranch mashed potatoes to round out your meal.

This easy broiled bone-in pork chops recipe is another wonderful way to prep this cut of pork, right along with our Homemade Shake and Bake Pork Chops and Honey Glazed Garlic Pork Chops.

Why This Recipe Works

Oven broiled pork chops are an especially great way to cook bone-in chops. The broiler will give you the same crisp outer crust as the grill does, but you can do it with ease from your kitchen.

Just a few minutes per side under the broiler, and these juicy pork chops are ready to enjoy!

• quick and easy to make
• juicy, tender, and full of flavor
• perfect for a quick weeknight dinner

The Ingredients

For the best results, don’t skip the brine! While it is optional, it will help to keep the pork chops extra juicy. You’ll only need to marinate the pork for about 1 hour, and you’ll be so glad you took that extra step.

Here are the simple ingredients you will need:

• thick pork chops, center cut and bone-in
• fresh thyme sprigs and chopped thyme leaves
• Kosher salt (for the brine)
• brown sugar
• olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• granulated garlic
• smoked paprika
• butter

How to Broil Pork Chops

Our broiled pork chops recipe is a three-step process. Brine the pork, broil the chops, then make the silky thyme butter sauce.

This recipe is written for pork chops that are at least 1-1/2 inches thick. Keep in mind that if your pork chops are not quite that thick, you will need to reduce the cooking time.

First, make the brine. Place the pork chops in a baking dish and pour the brine over the pork chops. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Heat the broiler while you prepare the pork chops. Discard the brine and dry the chops with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Combine the spices and seasonings in a small dish. Brush both sides of the chops with olive oil, then place all on a wire rack and season them on both sides. Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and pour the water into the pan.

How Long to Broil Pork Chops

The total cooking time for 2-inch thick chops will take 16 to 22 minutes. The total cooking time for 1-inch thick chops will only take 8 to 10 minutes. They are done when they are browned on the outside, and the internal temperature registers 145°F with a meat thermometer(per the USDA recommendations).

Tip: Since this method of broiling pork chops has some carry-over cooking from residual heat, we like to pull the chops out of the oven when the temperature reaches 140°F. By the time they finish resting, the internal temperature will be 145°F to 147°F.

Recipe Tips for the Best Results

• Feel free to use your favorite spices for the dry rub. Some good suggestions are ground fennel, cumin, chipotle powder, or our Cajun seasoning mix. More suggestions from our affiliates include:
  • Spiceology Cowboy Crust
  • Spiceology Beer Infused Rubs
  • Spiceology Chile Margarita Rub
    
• The brown sugar helps achieve a really nice browning on the outside of the chops.
  
• Adding the warm water to the bottom of the pan helps create a steamy environment that keeps the pork chops moist and tender as they broil.
  
• When the pork chops finish cooking, we recommend removing the chops from the rack but leaving the sheet pan in the oven to cool. This will prevent hot water from sloshing out when you try to remove the pan from the oven when it’s still hot.

Broiled pork chops are homestyle comfort food that goes with a variety of sides! Try them with smoked baked potatoes, or mashed creamer potatoes. This easy recipe is simple enough to prepare on a busy weeknight, but it’s also super flavorful and elevated with that fresh thyme butter.

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• baking sheet with wire rack
• large baking dish

Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:

Chicken Dumpling Soup is a delicious, old-fashioned favorite for good reason! A creamy, chicken soup base is extra yummy with tender, fluffy dumplings and shreds of chicken. This easy recipe will warm you all winter long.

Stove Top Pork Chops and Mushrooms combines meaty, flavorful pork with a rich, earthy mushroom pan sauce. Serve it with mashed potatoes for a truly hearty, cozy meal.

Instant Pot Pork Fried Rice makes a yummy, Asian-inspired meal that’s better than takeout! Bacon, fluffy scrambled egg, salty pork and fresh white rice come together in this easy, one-pot recipe.

Recipe inspired by Cook’s Illustrated.

Broiled Pork Chops

A simple salty brine will make these thick oven Broiled Pork Chops moist and juicy while the outside is golden brown and crispy.

The oven broiler cooks pork chops quickly and gives them a delicious caramelized char. For best results, choose thick-cut pork chops. If they are thinner than 1-1/2 inches thick, then they can overcook easily with this method. You can still use this method with thinner chops but keep an eye on them.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 28 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 to 8 servings

Calories: 292kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Brine:

• 4 pork chops 1-1/2 to 2-inches thick, bone-in (see Notes)
• Fresh thyme sprigs optional
• 3 tablespoons Kosher salt
• ½ cup brown sugar divided
• 1-½ quarts cold water

For the Pork Chops:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Thyme Butter

• 4 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

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Instructions

To make the Brine:

• Lay the pork chops into a 9×13-inch dish and add the sprigs of thyme if using. 
• In a 2-quart pitcher, combine the Kosher, salt and 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar in 1-1/2 quarts of water, stirring until dissolved.  Pour the brine over the pork chops, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the Broiled Pork Chops

• Adjust the oven rack to 5 inches from the broiler element, turn the oven to broil to heat for 3-4 minutes while preparing the pork chops.  
• Set a wire rack inside a rimmed sheet pan. 
• Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator and transfer to a work area. Discard the brine.  Pat the chops with paper towels to remove excess moisture.  
• In a small dish combine the remaining brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic and paprika.
• Brush both sides of the chops with olive oil, place on the wire rack and rub the exposed side with half of the spice mix.  Flip the chops over and repeat with the remaining spice rub.  
• Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and pour 1-1/2 cups of warm water into the sheet pan. 
• Broil them for 6 to 8 minutes (4 minutes for thinner chops), flip them to the other side, and continue cooking until the chops are browned and register 140°F (see notes). The total cooking time for 2-inch thick chops will take 16 to 22 minutes. The total cooking time for 1-inch thick chops will only take 8 to 10 minutes.

Make the Thyme Butter

• While the chops are broiling, blend the butter and thyme together with the back of a teaspoon.  Reserve.
• Transfer the chops to a platter and add a dollop of thyme butter to each chop.  Cover the platter loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  Serve garnished with fresh thyme sprigs.

Notes

The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the pork chops. A meat thermometer will remove any need to guess. Use the cooking time as a guide to help you plan but use the meat thermometer as your true guide to doneness.

The USDA recommends cooking pork chops to an internal temperature of 145°F. When you remove the pork chops from the broiler's high heat, they will continue to cook from residual heat. In order to prevent overcooking the chops, we remove them when they reach an internal temperature of 140°F.

The brine is optional, but it will keep the chops juicy.  

Use spices of your choice for the spice rub, some suggestions are ground fennel, cumin, and chipotle powder for a bit of a kick. We also enjoy Spiceology Cowboy Crust and their Beer Infused Rubs.

A little sugar will help to achieve a nice browning on the chops.

Be sure to add water to the sheet pan beneath the pork chops, as it creates a steamy environment that keeps the pork chops moist and tender.

To be safe, remove the chops from the rack but leave the sheet pan and rack in the oven to cool with the oven turned off. That way, hot water won't spill out of the pan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 2311mg | Sugar: 11g

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