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Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs are as delicious as they sound. The sweet brown sugar sauce is perfectly balanced by garlic and dried herbs, like thyme and oregano. A juicy pork chops dish that comes together in no time at all.
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This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy here.
Pork chops in brown sugar sauce are a quick and easy weeknight meal
These Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs is a perfect dish for a quick meal on a busy weekday. It really comes together in just 15 minutes.
However, if you want to make your meat even more tender and juicy, it’s recommended to brine it for at least 1/2 hour, but preferably overnight. With enough foresight, you can brine the meat the night before and the next day you’ll have the best pork chops dish ever. If you ever wondered how to brine pork chops here is an easy brine recipe.
To brine the pork chops you will need:
- 3 cups of water;
- 3 tablespoon of kosher salt;
- You can also add other ingredients, like 1 teaspoon of sugar, balsamic vinegar, some lemon slices, black peppercorn or garlic.
To make these delicious glazed Brown Sugar Pork Chops you will need:
- 2 to 4 pork chops on the bone;
- Ghee or cooking oil for frying;
- Brown sugar;
- Chopped garlic cloves;
- Dried thyme and oregano;
- Salt and pepper.
Easy steps to cook perfect Bone-In Brown Sugar Pork Chops
This recipe calls for bone-in pork chops, as they tend to be more juicy and tender. To make this dish you will need one ovenproof skillet. I use my cast iron skillet as it gives me a beautiful sear on my meat, and it can easily be transferred into the oven (remember the color on the meat equals the flavor).
- I start this dish on the stove by searing seasoned chops on each side until they’re a beautiful golden brown (about 3 minutes on each side). This step gives the pork chops a beautiful sear.
- Then I take the meat out and add brown sugar, garlic and herbs – mix it together so the flavors really infuse the meat.
- And then smother the chops on both sides with that medley and transfer the pan into the oven for 6-8 minutes to finish cooking. It creates beautifully glazed pork chops. The indirect heat from the oven helps to gently cook the meat inside without drying it out.
- That’s it. How simple was that?
One thing to keep in mind here is to make sure not to overcook your meat. The internal temperature of the meat should be at 145F. Make sure that your thermometer is in good condition. One time I followed my digital thermometer and I overcooked my meat. I’m not sure what went wrong but maybe the device wasn’t working properly. I would suggest using the tutorial by The Kitchn on How to Cook Tender & Juicy Pork Chops in the Oven.
What to serve these Brown Sugar Pork Chops with
And the sauce for pork chops is out of this world. You will eat meat but feel like you are actually eating a really good balanced dessert. This will pair beautifully with Homemade Dutch Oven Crusty Bread that you can dunk into the sauce and really indulge.
If you want to temper the sweetness of this dish I would suggest pairing it with this Cacio e Pepe Zucchini Noodles. It would make for a perfect gluten-free or paleo dinner. Alternatively, you can also go a little heavier and serve it with this amazing Potato Leek Casserole. You can also pair them with these Potato Cutlets with Asparagus. To me all of these suggestions to pair with this wonderful Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs are winners….so the choice is yours.
You may also need…
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This set of Cast Iron Skillets is the most used in my kitchen. You can use them to make these Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs as well as this Mushrooms Scallion Frittata with Parmesan Cheese.
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Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs
Ingredients
Brine
- 3 cups water
- 3 tbsp Kosher or Himalayan Salt
- garlic, balsamic vinegar, lemon optional
Pork Chops
- 2 pork chops - on a bone; about 1 inch thick
- 2 tbsp oil - cooking oil or ghee
- 1/4 cup brown sugar - light
- 4 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano - dried
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme - dried
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Brine
- To brine the pork chops dissolve salt in warm water, cool off to room temperature and submerge the pork chops (make sure all meat is covered with brine; you can either use a bowl or ziplock bag)
- Brine the pork chops in a refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour. The longer the better.
Pork Chops
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F;
- In the oven proof skillet heat up oil or ghee;
- Pat dry the the pork chops and season with salt and pepper on each side;
- Sear the chops on each side for about 3 minutes and then take them out;
- Remove the skillet from the heat, and add butter, brown sugar, chopped garlic and herbs. Mix it all together;
- Return chops to the skillet and smother them with the sauce on each side.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the pork chops until cooked through (140F to 145F) for about 6 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat;
- Once cooked remove the pork chops from the skillet and let rest for 5 minutes;
- Spoon the sauce on the pork and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
If you like this recipe you may also like these Quick and Easy ideas:
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Spanish Style Tuna Stew with Potatoes, Peppers and Tomatoes
One Sheet Herbed Lemon Chicken with Veggies
If i wan to make 6 chops instead of 2 do I need to triple the recipe?
Thank you
Hi Denise, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you sooner. If you can fit 3 chops in one pan and make the chops in separate batches than leave the sauce proportions as they are per pan which would mean you double the sauce ingredients. If you have big enough pan to fit all 6 chops than I think doubling the sauce ingredients should be enough.
Can I freeze the pork in the brine, then defrost, marinade and cook?
Hi Terry, I have never frozen the brine. You may try. What I would do, is to freeze just pork chops and then when you want to defrost them overnight, place them in a brine.
Now I need to look up how to make ghee. This looks fabulous! I have two cast iron pans. One is 10-inch, the other 12″. I need to feed 4-5 people, depending whether our granddaughter is here for the weekend.
Great. I hope your family will love this recipe. Btw you don’t have to make ghee. You can buy it on Amazon or Trader Joe’s.
Love this recipe and it’s my husbands favorite. I used Italian seasoning last time because I was out of thyme and really liked the rosemary addition. Either way, it’s delicious!
Thank you very much Kris. I’m sure rosemary works good here too 🙂
I wonder if I can pre – cook or sear the pork chops per instructions but bake them at a later day? Or is it better to fully cook them and just warm them up the next day? I meal prep for my family when I’m at work 🙂
Hi Lilly, it would be better to cook them through and have your family reheat them the next day. It’s tricky though because it may get overcooked the next day while reheating. The taste still be there so hopefully they will come out well. Good luck.
this recipe sounds great don’t. have kosher salt will sea salt work for brine?? trying this for dinner tonight I’m sure it will taste great I love trying different recipes thanks…
Hi Danny, yes you can use sea salt for the brine. It will work just fine. I hope you will like this recipe!
Can you leave out the brown sugar?
Of course you can. It will be a different recipe then, pork chops in garlic and herbs. But the brown sugar really makes a difference here.
How well will the recipe work if I used boneless pork chops?
It will work but you may need to shorten the time in the oven. Boneless pork chops cooks faster.
Hello, I have a small problem with brining I have never done that or heard of it, I grew up in the country and lived of the foods and meats that your on our farm, and of the time only meat on weekends. Of course I have learned a lot in the last 38 years of marriage following my mother-in-laws guides, ok I am on a no salt low sodium diet is there a way of brining with the salt, maybe vinegar, I have no idea how much sodium this salt water brining would add. Thank you
Hi there, the meat is not going to absorb a lot of salt. It will get tenderized. But if you don’t want to risk, my suggestion would be to tenderize meat with buttermilk or yogurt and the rinse it before cooking. I hope it helps.
This is my new favorite recipe! I’ve made it 3 times. The second 2 times my brown sugar mixture got really hard. Any tips? I made sure I removed it from the heat while I mixed. I want to make this for company, but am not quite sure what I’m doing wrong. Thanks for the advice!!
Hi Lisa. This has never happened to me and I am making it often for my husband. The only thing that I can think of is that maybe sometimes brown sugar has more molasses and can get more sticky. Try with light brown sugar that is loose and fluffy. (If it is hard, place it in the bowl, cover it with a wet paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to a minute until it is fluffy). You can also add a splash of water to the mixture before putting it in the oven. Let me know if that worked.
What temp should your oven be
Hi Karen, as indicated in number 1 in the instructions section of the recipe, you should preheat your oven to 400F.
Okay … turns out I have been making pork chops all wrong! I’ve never used bone in pork chops, never brined them, never seared them first on the stove before putting them in the oven, and never paired them with brown sugar. Wow!! These were absolutely delicious. We felt like we were eating at a five star restaurant. Thank you for such a GREAT recipe! My husband usually rolls his eyes when I tell him we’re having pork chops for dinner. After dinner tonight, he said, “I know I usually say I don’t like pork chops, but these were REALLY good!” My seven and eight year old boys grabbed the bones to see if they could find any more morsels of meat left on them. I already put these on the menu to serve again next week. Thank you!
Fantastic! I’m so happy you guys liked it so much. These pork chops are on heavy rotation in my house. My husband says that they taste like a dessert 🙂
Made these chops last week per your recipe and loved it!
Awesome! I’m glad it came out great.
My my family and I could not get enough of the juicy, mouth watering,out of this world pork chops. This has got to be the best I’ve ever made. Thank you so very much.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your feedback and I am super happy that you liked it 🙂
This recipe is a 5 star!
I followed the recipe as suggested and they came out beautifully. Everyone raves over the flavor. I will definitely make them again. Thanks for the recipe. Julia
Perfect! I’m very happy to hear this 🙂
Hello. I am looking forward to cooking these pork chops.
What temperature do you use to sear in your cast iron skillet?
The cast iron gets so hot and I do not want to over cook the meat before it
goes into the oven.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’m heating it up until the oil sizzle but is not burning. I can’t tell you the exact temperature. If you sear them for 3 minutes on each side, or if they are rather thin 2 minutes per side, you should be fine.
This was fantastic. Everyone raved over the flavors. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Julia
Thank you so much Julia. I’m happy you liked it 🙂
My 13-yr old daughter made these for us tonight. This is a wonderful recipe. The chops are moist and flavorful.
Has anyone tried grilling the pork chops with the sauce on them? I have 6 chops and my pan will only hold 3. Thought I might try to bake 3 and grill 3. Anyone try grilling and have any tips?
These pork chops were fantastic! Made mashed Yukon gold potatoes and fresh green beans as sides. My husband and I devoured our chops. I will definitely make these again! Thank you!
If you are looking for the best BROWN SUGAR PORK CHOPS WITH GARLIC & HERBS recipe, you have found it right here. This is so simple to make and it tastes absolutely amazing. I’ve taken a lot of cooking classes and this one has stuck with me through all of them.
So good! I planned this and then found out it was going to be 85 degrees and I’m not running my A/C yet so I did not want to turn on my oven! I cooked them in a heavy fry pan on top of the stove. They came out wonderful. Def will make again & again.
The flavor was excellent. I brined for three hours and the finished dish was too salty. Maybe Himalayan pink is saltier than kosher?? I used an 8 inch skillet and it seemed like too much oil. Will use just one tablespoon next time. I will make it again with a shorter brine time. It was really good.