A Towering Stack of Simple, Tasty Bone-In Pork Chops
Time for a new protein! I wrote recently that I’ve always been intimidated by cooking steak. As it turns out, same goes for pork chops. I’ve had some dry, icky pork chops over the years, and I was also nervous about under-cooking the pork (as we know, you definitely don’t want to under-cook your pork…). With the recent changes in cooking guidelines for pork and the fact that I’ve made beef filets for the last 4 of 5 meals I’ve cooked for friends/family, I figured it was time to try the pork chop.
I REALLY enjoyed these pork chops, and they were super easy to make. This is going to become a regular weeknight protein for me.
Pan-Seared and Roasted Bone-In Pork Chops
Quantity: 4
Time: about 30 minutes, including searing, roasting, and resting times
Paleo-Grade: A (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- 4 bone-in pork chops (approx 1.5″ thick), preferably pastured pork
- Coarse Celtic sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Coconut oil (2-4 Tbs.)
- 1 lemon, halved
Seasoned Pork Chops Ready for the Skillet
- Generously salt and pepper both sides of your pork chops and let stand for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add 1-2 Tbs. of coconut oil and coat pan (pouring off any excess).
- Sear 2 pork chops on one side until you achieve a golden crust (4-5 minutes).
- Flip the pork chops and sear the other side (another 3-4 minutes).
- Using tongs, brown the fatty edges of the chops. Transfer chops to a clean plate.
- Carefully wipe skillet clean, add more coconut oil and repeat searing process for additional 2 chops.
- Add reserved pork chops back into skillet and transfer to oven. Use an instant-read, leave-in thermometer set at 145 degrees to accurately time cooking. The thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone or the pan. This won’t take long – anywhere from 3-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat and how long you seared.
- Once the temp has reached 145 degrees, remove skillet from oven and transfer chops to a clean plate to rest for 5 minutes.
- Squeeze lemon over the chops and serve!
PaleoBetty 
Hi! Is there any way to do this without the leave in thermometer? Could I just put them in an oven (at that temp), cook them for between 3-8 mins (as above), but pull them out of the oven to check (every few minutes) to check with my thermometer that way? I have a food thermometer, it’s just not oven proof.
Looking forward to trying this, as my husband is not keen on pork – this may change his mind! Also, would would work well as a side?
Thanks!
You can definitely pull them out to check… that’s no problem at all! Happy cooking! With pork, I love roasted sweet potatoes with apples or the brussels sprouts with apples. Enjoy!
This is a great recipe, thanks. I marinated the pork in lime juice and cilantro, which worked out really well. Again, thanks for teaching me how to make the perfect pork chop.
Oh, I’m so glad you liked it! The lime juice and cilantro sound delish – I’ll have to try it out!