Iron Skillet Garlic & Brown Sugar Pork Chop

 

 

Sweetly glazed, tender and juicy, I am excited to be able to share this pork chop recipe with you today I do so love to treat myself to a delicious pork chop every now and then, and this is one of my favorite ways to prepare them.

I have adapted the recipe to cook only one pork chop, but you can very easily multiply the quantities to serve more than one. As I live on my own, however, it only makes sense that I cook for one or at the most two, nearly all of the time. 

 

This is one of the best ways of preparing pork chops. So filled with flavor with a tender, juicy succulent result. Yes, they are perfectly cooked.

Pork is one of those meats that can be easily over-cooked and dried out if not cooked properly.  I grew up in the fifties and sixties and my mother used to cook her chops to death.  Seriously dry.  

In the 1950's and 60's it was largely believed that unless pork (and game) needed to be cooked well done due to the risk of trichinella spiralis.  But we now know in the 21st century that trichinella is killed when pork is cooked to a lower internal temperature than previously thought to be safe. (It is now 160*F/71.1*C)

 

That is great news for those of us who enjoy a nice piece of pork every now and then.  Dried out pork chops no longer are par for the course.

It is  now Perfectly safe to enjoy them while they are still a bit pink in the middle. Having said that however, I would never eat a pork chop that was bloody or pink near the bone. 

 

You will need a good heavy oven-proof-safe skillet for this recipe.  The chop is started by browning it on top of the stove over moderate heat and then finished with  short roast in the oven.

You will also need dry Italian Salad Dressing mix which I know is difficult to find in some places.  You can very easily make your own however. This is what I had to do all the time when I lived in the UK.

 

To make your own dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix: Mix together 1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt, 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/8 tsp. dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. dried basil, 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley, 1/8 tsp. celery salt, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a container. Thoroughly combine and store in an airtight container.  This makes 3 TBS.

If you do want to use this to make a salad dressing, simply mix 1 TBS of the dry mix with 1/2 cup (120ml) canola oil, 2 TBS white vinegar and 1 TBS water. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE IRON SKILLET GARLIC & BROWN SUGAR PORK CHOP

Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way.

•  1 (1/2 inch thick) bone in pork loin chop 
• 2 TBS butter 
• 1 tsp dry garlic Italian salad dressing mix (See above to make your own) 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 
• 1/4 tsp paprika 
• 1 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed 

 

 

I made this using a 1/2 inch thick bone in pork chop. Of course if you make it with a boneless chop, you will need to adjust your timings a tiny bit as they will not take quite as long to cook.

I like bone in chops, and in fact prefer them over the boneless ones. They tend to be juicier, and have more flavor.  Its also nice to make sure that you have a healthy border of fat along the bone free edge of the chop.   This also adds to the flavor.

 

HOW TO MAKE IRON SKILLET GARLIC & BROWN SUGAR PORK CHOP

These really do go together and cook very quickly. You must preheat your oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.  The chop will be finished off in the oven.

Wipe your pork chop and pat it dry.  I always cut the fatty edge of the chop with my kitchen scissors at 1/4 inch intervals.  This helps to prevent the chop from curling up when you brown it.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients for your chops.  Rub these into the chops all over, top and bottom.

 

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed oven proof skillet.  Once it begins to foam add the chop and brown it on one side for 3 minutes, flip over and brown on the other side for a further 3 minutes.

Pop the skillet with the chop in it, into the oven and roast it for about 10 to 15 minutes. At that time it should be perfectly cooked. The juices will run clear and the meat should be a lovely tender pink in the middle.

Take out of the oven, remove to a warm plate and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. It will continue to cook when resting. 

 

And that's it.  Perfectly cooked.  Beautifully flavored. Tender and juicy.  Pork chops don't get much better than this!

I served mine with a baked sweet potato and some green beans.  It made for a delicious supper! 

 

If you are looking for more ways to cook pork chops here are some of my favorite recipes:

Pork Chops with Cream Gravy

Deviled Pork Chops

Herbed Pork Chops with Garlic Butter

Mapled Pork Chops
  

I guarantee all of them to be delicious options!  Enjoy!

Iron Skillet Garlic & Brown Sugar Pork Chop

Yield: 1

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Delicious, tender and moist. This fabulous recipe makes enough for one person, but can easily be multiplied to feed more.

Ingredients

• 1 (1/2 inch thick) bone in pork loin chop
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 tsp dry garlic Italian salad dressing mix (I use Clubhouse)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed

Instructions

1. You will need an oven proof small skillet for this recipe. I used an 8-inch round cast iron skillet.
2. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
3. Mix the brown sugar, paprika, dry Italian salad dressing mix, salt and black pepper together in a small bowl.
4. Slash the fatty edge of your pork chop at 1/4 inch intervals. This helps to prevent the chop from curling up when you cook it. Rub the brown sugar mix into the chop all over front and back.
5. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium high heat until it begins to foam. Add the chop and brown first on one side and then the other, about 3 minutes per side.
6. Pop the skillet into the preheated oven. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the pork chop juices run clear. Baste with the pan juices. Remove to a heated plate and leave to rest for a few minutes prior to serving.

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