Pan Seared Pork Chops in Rendered Pork fat from the trimming off a fatty Pork Chop. Seasoned with Salt & Pepper and left out to reach room temperature. Just trim the fat from the Pork Chops and render it out, then the Pan is primed to sear the Pork Chops.

Pork Chops

Any Pork Chop will do, Bone in or boneless, or sliced from a Pork Loin with the fat included for Boneless Pork Chops of any desired thickness.

A key thing to keep in mind or watch for, is an even thickness through out the Pork or Steak. If one side of it is thick and the other side is thin, you will get an uneven cook. It stands to reason but is easily overlooked.

Make sure the meat is completely thawed and at room temp before cooking. Cooking meat partially frozen or very cold will result in a dry end product. At room temp the end results is nothing but juice.

Salt & Pepper Pork Chop

I use the same Salt & Pepper that is used for the Salt & Pepper Chicken. Which is a blend of Sea Salt and both Black & White Pepper. The ratios are below.

Preparing Pork Chops for Searing

Season the Pork Chops and set them aside to reach room temp. Optionally season the Meat and place them on a wired rack and refrigerate overnight. Then take out the Pork Chops for 30 minutes to an hour to reach room temp before cooking.

Allowing the salt to work and draw the moisture out so that the surface is dry will create a much better and darker sear. If you salt the meat and then cook right away or shortly after, you are drawing the water to the surface but not allowing it to dry out which hinders searing.

Season the meat and allow ample time for it to work, drying out the surface. Then bring the meat to room temp before cooking for the best Sear & Juicy Pork Chop.

What is Pan Searing

Pan Searing is the process of cooking meat over high heat in fat, between 300 F – 450 F to promote browning and crusting. It works best with dried meats. Which is why You often pat dry the meat before searing it and salt it well in advance to help the exterior dry out. This process develops a crust on the surface, adding an extra dimension of flavor through texture contrast and browning. For thinner cuts of meat, this method cooks the meat through. For thicker cuts, you’ll need to finish cooking them in the oven or by using other methods.

Searing focuses on developing a crust rather than cooking the meat through. You apply the same searing time to a roast, steak, or cubed meat of the same type. For a roast, the meat won’t be cooked through; with steak, it depends on the thickness; and with cubed meat, it will cook through. The primary goal of searing is to brown the meat and create a crust, while cooking it through is a secondary outcome.

Best Fat for Searing

The best fat for searing is the Natural Fat on the meat that you are searing, it contributes significantly to the natural taste. For more information, check out my post on Rendered Fat.

An interesting point about rendered fat is that the optimal searing temperature for a specific cut of meat aligns with the smoke point of the rendered fat. They go hand in hand.

Trim and chop the excess fat from the meat into small pieces. Place it in a skillet over medium heat and cook until the fat renders and you’re left with crackling. Discard the crackling. Now the pan is primed with rendered fat and hot enough to start searing.

Adding Butter

Butter burns quickly, so it’s not ideal for searing. However, you can use ghee for searing.

Adding butter to the pan with aromatics at the end is a common technique to add flavor to the meat. After searing the meat, add a good amount of butter to the skillet with the heat turned off. The residual heat should be sufficient to prevent burning. Keep the butter moving and scoop it over the meat as you finish searing. Watch the butter closely, as there’s a fine line between browned and burnt butter.

Searing Pork Chops

Make sure that the meat is completely thawed and at room temp. If refrigerated, take the meat out about 30 minutes to an hour before you plan on cooking.

Before searing, ensure that the rendered fat is heated hot over medium heat. This will take about 8 – 10 minutes or more for a hotter sear. Searing begins at 300 F and upwards to 450 F. Typically you want the fat just before the smoke point before adding in the meat.

When placing the meat into the pan, leave it be, don’t move it around.

Cook times will vary depending on the thickness of your Meat. In general you will see the juices just starting to run clear. It takes about 10 minutes for a 1 inch boneless Pork Chops to reach about 155 F over medium heat after the Pan has been primed and a bit longer for bone in Pork Chops.

Adjust your time accordingly to the level of doneness desired, the thickness of the Pork Chop and whether it is Bone in or not.

Searing Bone in vs Boneless

Bone In Pork Chops take a minute or so longer on each side to sear than Boneless pork Chops. Use the general guideline below and adjust based on your preference for an internal temp.

If the Pork Chop is very thick and especially with Bone in, you may need to finish in the oven or Reverse Sear. Bone in Pork Chops have a tendency to lift the meat up and away from the pan. This is the other reason why I prefer a reverse sear with 1 inch Bone in Pork Chops.

Reverse Seared Pork Chops

I use this for Bone in Pork Chops at about 1 inch thick or thicker. I find you just get better results this way. The Pork Chops are seasoned well in advance and are cooked in the oven for a bit before being seared.

How to Reverse Sear Pork Chops

Brush the 1 inch bone in Pork Chops with Oil and Season. Place Seasoned Pork Chops on a broiler pan and into a preheated oven at 300 F. Let cook for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 15 degrees below your target internal temp.

Times will vary depending on the thickness of your Pork Chops. For best results use a thermometer.

When 8 – 10 minutes of cook time remain, start heating up the skillet with the already rendered fat over medium heat.

Remove the Pork Chops from the oven when done and go directly to searing for 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle more seasoning on and let rest.

This will bring a 1 inch – 1 1/2 inch bone in Pork Chop to an internal temp of about 130 F and the searing will take it up to about 147 F internal temp before being rested. Use an oven thermometer for better accuracy and adjust the times based on thickness and desired internal temp.

With thicker cuts of meat, leave them in the oven until they are about 15 degrees away from the desired internal temperature. Then Sear the Meat for 3 minutes per side.

How to tell when Seared Pork Chops are done

When measuring with a meat thermometer and followed by a minimum 3 minute rest.

• 145 F – 150 F for Medium Rare
• 150 F – 155 F for Medium
• 155 F – 160 F for Medium Well
• 160 F for Well Done

Another way to tell without a thermometer is just when the juices are starting to run clear. This happens at the Medium – Medium Well stage. Just like with any other meats, when the juices start to run clear the meat is at it’s prime juiciness. Remove and let rest which will allow the juices to settle.

Pan Sauce

After searing the pork chops, the bottom of the pan will have developed fond, which is packed with flavor. Add liquids and other ingredients to create a pan sauce that you can serve over the pork chops. The added liquids will lift the fond and incorporate it into the sauce, effectively cleaning the pan at the same time.

Reduce the added liquids to achieve a sauce consistency. You can use practically any liquid for this purpose.

Cream Pan Sauce

This creamy sauce is served over the pork chops. After cooking and resting the pork chops, make the pan sauce and reduce it to a sauce consistency.