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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.
This is a very popular recipe. Here are other most popular recipes on the Eating European website:
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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:
Pork Chops in White Wine Cream Sauce w/ Mushrooms & Bacon
Brown Sugar Pork Loin with Garlic and Herbs
Spanish Style Tuna Stew with Potatoes, Peppers and Tomatoes
One Sheet Herbed Lemon Chicken with Veggies
what a lovely dinner and pork cooks up so quickly making it feasible any day of the week.
Thanks Maria!
Your photos are beautiful! This recipe is making my mouth water
Thanks Jill!
This looks so good and I bet it smells pretty amazing too! I am trying this one soon. Thanks for sharing! Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.
Thanks Luci!
Gorgeous photos! That pork looks amazing!
Thanks Alison
Those pork chops look absolutely perfect. Yum.
Thank you Kristina.
Wow, this looks amazing!
Thank you Drea!
Do we have to put them in oven
Just wondering case my pans aren’t oven safe
Hi Katherine, I put them in the oven for even cooking. You can cook them entirely on the stove for a little bit longer. Just use the meat thermometer to make sure that you don’t overcook the meat 🙂
Oh my! I made these last night for dinner and they were really delicious! I made one small addition to spice things up a bit. I added some sriracha along with the brown sugar and garlic. The little kick was perfect ! Thanks for the recipe. I will be making these again!
Fantastic!I’m really glad you liked it Sharon. I love the idea of adding siracha! I will try adding it next time 🙂
These were delicious! I brined it and added a Tuscan herb mix and lemon Myer white balsamic vinegar over night. Then I seared it in a Tuscan olive oil. Only problem…we both wanted more. My husband says I may need to make this again next week. 😊
Thank you SO MUCH Kelly! I really love when someone tries my recipe and it comes out delicious! Tuscan olive oil sounds really awesome. I think I saw one in Trader Joe’s. I need to try it 🙂
These are the best pork chops I have ever eaten!! Made them last week and I’m making them this week as well. YUMMY
Thank you Jeannie!
Can you grill these pork chops on a bbq?
You can but the best part is the sauce. Make sure to make it separately and smother the chops after you grill them.
I love adding garlic and other herbs to my dishes that is so enjoyed by the family, you’ve done fab job here.thanks
Thanks Jagruti! Garlic and herbs really make a difference.
i have to try brining my pork chops, like you’ve suggested. Even if I cook them medium rare, they are tough. I love them but hate that! These looks so juicy and moist!
I know, I’m with you on it Beth. Brine them, it will help!
I am salivating as I look at your photos. I love the simplicity of this recipe — and I’m also a big fan of brining pork. It really does prevent it from drying out!
Thanks Lisa! Brining does make a huge difference 🙂
Wow those look incredible. I love the caramelized looking glaze from the sugar.
Thanks Sandi. The glaze is what makes it really delicious.
This reminds me of my mother and how she use to cook for us. I love your use of brown sugar! What a great compliment to the food.
Thank you Ginny!
What did you use to garnish ?
Hey Lauren, You can garnish the pork chops with chopped fresh parsley.
My husband isn’t a huge pork chop fan so I know this was an awesome recipe when he was telling me how good they were and was disappointed we didn’t have more. I followed this recipe exactly as written, I even let the meat soak in a brine for a couple of hours and the pork came out so tender and flavorful. Don’t be afraid of the brown sugar, I didn’t think these were too sweet at all. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you for such a good recipe!
Thank you Ashley! It makes me very happy to hear that the recipe came out so good for you guys. We love it too!
Just made these and they were absolutely delicious, hubby says they taste like a top chef’s favorite recipe. Will definitely be making these again soon. Try it you will love them.
Thanks so much Trish±! I really appreciate it.
This is the first time I am leaving a comment, for
anything I have ever made from Pinterest. So easy and simple to make, but defiantly not in taste. Hands down…..the best pork chops I have ever made. I will defiantly be making them again. Thank you!!
Thank you so much Lisa! I’m so happy you liked it.
I cannot wait to try this tonight!! My pork chops are brining right now 🙂
Perfect! I hope it came out great for you.
Just made this recipe and they turned out wonderful. Thank you!
Great Sandy! I’m so happy you liked them.
These are the best pork chops I’ve ever had. Delicious! I will have them more often. Thank you so much!
Thank you Elsie. I’m so happy to hear this.
Can you cook them in a baking sheet or glass casserole dish if you don’t have a cast iron skillet?
Hi Kyle, I don’t think you will get the same result. You don’t need to use cast iron pan. Any frying pan that is safe for the oven will do just fine.
Just delicious- glad I read the reviews before making it – I added basalmic vinegar to the brine
Great idea. I will add balsamic vinegar next time to my brine as well 🙂