How To Cook The Juiciest, Most Tender Pork Chop In A Cast Iron Skillet

Pork chops come from the loin of the pig. The chop I am cooking with is the pork rib chop or ribeye chop. Very nice marbling and color to the pork with a nice thickness. I like to dry brine pork for great flavor and tenderness. This is best don 8-12 hours before cooking, so plan accordingly. I have a peperonata recipe that is amazing with pork, click here for the recipe!

Ingredients:

12-14 oz Rib Chop (Ribeye Chop)

2 tbsp oil

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 sprig fresh each thyme and rosemary

1 tbsp kosher salt

2 tsp Black Pepper

Tools needed:

Glass baking dish

Cast iron skillet or stainless steel saute pan

Paper towels

How to make it:

Pick out pork chops that are a nice pink color that isn’t turning gray. Look out for dark spots in the fat cap or bone area also. If there are dark spots, keep looking for a chop that doesn’t have dark spots.

Pat the pork chop dry with paper towel on all sides. Season all sides with kosher salt and set the chop onto a glass baking dish. Let the pork sit in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours, minimum of 6 hours. This is a dry brine that will flavor the meat as well as tenderize it slightly.

The next day, remove the chop from the refrigerator and place on countertop to bring the meat up to room temperature (may take about 1 hour).

Once the pork chop is at room temperature, heat your pan over medium high heat until it starts to smoke slightly. Pat the meat dry before placing in the pan. When ready, add oil to the pan and carefully drop in the pork. If there is a fat cap, render that first in the pan to release the fat and caramelize slightly. You will use that rendered fat to cook the pork in along with added oil. Rib chops are a thick cut of meat and willl take a little bit longer. It can take 8-12 minutes with varying variables that may affect cooking time (pan heat/bottom thickness, chop thickness etc).

Flip the pork over after 8 or so minutes and sear on that side until it reaches around 135 degrees F when checked with a thermometer. This is technically going toward medium temperature. I like to cook my chop to about 145 F. Once it reaches 135, drop in some butter to the pan and allow to melt. Once butter is melted, add some fresh herbs and baste the pork with the butter. The herbs will flavor the butter and will flavor the pork (perfume) as you baste the meat. I like to baste the pork when it is close to being cooked to temperature of liking, about the last minute to minute and a half of the cooking time. Be careful not to let the butter burn.

Once the pork is done cooking, set aside on a plate and top with the butter / herbs from the pan. Let rest for 10 - 12 minutes before cutting and / or serving. My favorite way to serve this pork chop is with some peperonata. This is an Italian stewed dish of tomatoes and bell peppers that is used as a side or to accompany meat. Peperonata is very easy to make, click the highlighted text for the recipe.

Enjoy!

Logan