Cast Iron Pork Chops

Cast iron pork chops are smoky-sweet and seared to perfection in your cast iron skillet! These chops take less than 8 minutes to cook! This pork chops recipe is low carb, keto, paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

Jump to:

• Why You'll ❤️ This Recipe
• 🥗 How To Serve
• 🥘 What You'll Need
• 🔪 How To Make Cast Iron Pork Chops
• 📖 Variations
• 💭 Top Tips
• ❓FAQs
• ✔️ More Pork Recipes
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll ❤️ This Recipe

"These cast iron skillet pork chops are so full of flavor and easy to make! They taste like you've spent hours preparing and cooking them just right. You can enjoy these cast iron pork chops in just 8 minutes! You have GOT to try this!"

Smoky-Sweet

Delicious smoky-sweet seared pork chops smothered in our pork dry rub. Searing the chops creates a perfect crust that seals in the juices - making these pork chops super tender!

Quick

Yep. These pork chops are cooked in just 8 minutes! Add a simple side dish for dinner, and you've got a super quick dinner on a busy weeknight.

Healthy

The pork rub used in this recipe is much healthier than you can buy in the store and other than that it's just pork chops used. I did use brown sugar to get the golden sear, but you could use a substitute or omit it altogether.

These pork chops are dairy-free, gluten-free, low carb, keto, and paleo.

🥗 How To Serve

Here are a few ways to serve cast iron pork chops:

Serve with a fresh salad on the side! Check out some of my homemade dressing recipes like Blue Cheese Dressing, French, or Italian Dressing.

Try my air fryer green beans or air fryer asparagus recipe for a quick side dish idea!

Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or brown rice are great ideas to pair with pork chops.

If you happen to be looking for more skillet pork chop recipes I suggest you try this other skillet version Thick Shake and Bake Pork Chops.

🥘 What You'll Need

Here are the ingredients and equipment you will need to make these cast iron pork chops:

Ingredients

• Bone-in Pork Chops - make sure they are 1/2 inch thick cut.
• Pork dry rub - add in brown sugar(compliments the smoky rub and add a crust)
• Olive oil - you can use any olive oil that you have.

Equipment

Equipment and tools needed to make this recipe:

• 12-inch cast-iron skillet
• Instant Read Thermometer

🔪 How To Make Cast Iron Pork Chops

Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this recipe:

Rub and Marinade

Start by making the dry rub for the pork chops and add brown sugar.

Season pork chops by sprinkling the dry rub on both sides of the pork chops then rubbing it in.

Cover and set in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Pre-heat

Remove your pork chops from the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before you are ready to cook. This allows the pork chops to heat and cooks evenly.

Add olive oil to your cast iron skillet and pre-heat over medium heat.

Add your pork chops to the pan when the oil starts to smoke. (2 at a time).

Pan-Sear

Cook the pork chops for 2 to 3 minutes on each side and golden brown.

The internal temperature for pork chops should be 140 degrees F in the center.

Top tip: If your pan is getting too hot, turn it down to medium or medium-low heat.

Finish and Serve

Transfer your pork chops to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. The temperature will continue to rise as they sit.

Adjust seasoning with salt and ground black pepper, or additional pork dry rub.

Repeat the previous steps for searing the pork chops with the other 2 chops.

📖 Variations

Here are a few ways you can vary or make substitutions to this recipe:

• Feel free to use your favorite pork dry rubs for this recipe! We love my homemade version to adjust any seasonings you'd like!
• In this recipe, we added brown sugar to give it a nice balance with the smokiness of the pork rub. Use a brown sugar substitute such as a monk fruit sweetener to keep this recipe keto, low carb, and low calorie!
• Boneless pork chops can easily be substituted! Bone-in pork chops are less expensive, easy to find at your local supermarket, and tend to be more flavorful!

💭 Top Tips

❓FAQs

Storage

Let the fried pork chops cool down to room temperature and then transfer to an air-tight container—place in the refrigerator and store for up to 4 days.

Freezing

You can freeze leftover pork chops for up to 6 months if sealed tightly in a freezer-proof container. If you use a plastic freezer bag make sure to push the air out.

Top tip: put your date on a piece of tape and place it on your container for easy tracking.

Reheating

From the refrigerator: Place on a microwave-safe plate and reheat in the microwave. Leave it whole or cut it up before microwaving. Up to you!

From the freezer: Pull your pork chops a day ahead of time and place them in the refrigerator to allow time to thaw. Microwave once thawed until heated all the way through.

How long should you sear pork chops for?

For 1/2" thickness, cook for about 3 minutes on each side.

For 3/4" thickness, cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side and then 3 minutes on each side.

For 1" thickness, cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Check the internal temperature to determine doneness. Remove the chops from the heat at 140 degrees F then cover. Let rest and the pork will continue to increase in temperature to 145 degrees F.

How do you cook thin pork chops without drying them out?

One way to cook pork chops, especially thin cut pork chops, is by searing in your skillet or cast-iron skillet for about 1-2 minutes on each side to get a sear. Then continue to cook until the chops reach your desired temperature, about 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Pull the chops from the heat 5 degrees lower than your desired temperature then cover and let rest for 5 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise.

✔️ More Pork Recipes

If you are looking for more delicious pork recipes, check these out:

• Cordon Bleu Stuffed Pork Loin
• Baby Back Ribs - fall-off-the-bone and super EASY!
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
• Easy Slow Cooker Pork Roast
• Pork Rind Nachos

📋 Recipe