Learn how easy it is to cook 1 ½ to 2-inch or more extra thick pork chops that are perfectly juicy, tender, and moist. Add in some gravy, and you're in pork heaven.
Introduction
Today's pork is not yesterday's pork. It is now lean meat and can be part of a healthy balanced diet. But cooking 1 ½ to 2-inch or more extra thick pork chops needs some special tricks.
I love pork and gravy. And juicy and tender thick pork chops smothered in gravy are the ultimate comfort food for many. Just follow these easy step-by-step photo instructions.
👨🍳How to make this recipe
- Pick center-cut chops that are 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. If there is a fat ring, trim it to ½ inch thick and slice through the remaining fat rim at about 1-inch intervals to prevent cupping.
- Rest pork chops at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
- Season to taste with a seasoning of salt and pepper. Other seasonings or marinades may be used for a different flavor.
- Using an oven-safe pan (cast iron preferred), heat oil over medium-high heat; when shimmering, add the seasoned pork chops.
- Sear both sides of the chops for 2-3 minutes until gettings some nice browning. But don't over-brown due to the longer oven time.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until an internal temperature of 145°-150° - usually about 20-25 minutes. Total cooking time will be variable due to the pork's thickness and the chops' start temperature. Do your first temperature check at 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from pan and tent lightly with foil while doing the gravy phase.
Optional Gravy
- Instructions are for 2 cups of gravy, but scale to your needs.
- Using gravy base, mix 2 cups of pork broth. You can also use chicken or vegetable broth. Whisk 4 tablespoons flour into one cup of broth.
- Add the other cup of your broth to the pan drippings over medium heat. When boiling, slowly add the broth/flour mixture while continuously whisking.
- Continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-4 minutes more.
⏰🌡️Time and Temperature
The total cooking time for a 2-inch thick pork chop will be 25 to 30 minutes. This includes 4 to 5 minutes of searing time plus about 20-25 minutes in a 375° convection or 400° conventional oven to reach 145° internal temperature.
Several variables will affect the cooking time of thick-cut pork chops: the thickness, the duration of searing, the temperature of both the meat and oven and the searing time.
The pan-searing is needed to create a Maillard reaction which is the browning that adds lots of taste. Skipping searing will add a few minutes to the total cooking time and decrease the quality of the results without the Maillard reaction.
🌡️Levels of cooked pork doneness
The USDA recommends a 145° minimum internal temperature with a 3-minute rest for safety. Remember, the final temperature may rise a few degrees after removal from the oven.
| Cooked Pork Level | Internal Temperature | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | less than 145° | Not recommended. Not safe per the USDA |
| Medium-Rare | 145°-150° | A touch of pink |
| Medium | 150°-155° | Pink disappears, a little dryer |
| Medium-Well | 155°-160° | Starting to dry significantly |
| Well Done | 160°+ | Not recommended. Getting very dry |
👨🍳Why this recipe works?
1) Rest at room temperature
An old trick but a goodie. Resting at room temperature is the first secret to getting thick chops done right.
It is safe to rest at room temperature for an hour or so. It will cook faster, be moister, and overall a good thing.
If you have the time to do this, start looking at the temperature of the meat after about 12-15 minutes in the oven since it will cook faster. Remember you are cooking to a final temperature and not by time.
2) The oven temperature
Many people will assume with thicker meat; you should use a higher temperature. The truth is the opposite. There must be time to cook the center of thick meat while not overcooking the surface.
Usually, with thinner pork chops, I use an oven temperature of 425°. We want a temperature of 25°-50° lower, so the meat has time to get to the proper internal temperature while not overcooking the surface.
🐖Types of Pork Chops
The pork chops we are talking about in this recipe will be one of the middle three in the above diagram. Usually, the "extra thick pork chops" will be a boneless slice of a whole pork loin at least 1 ½ to 2 inches thick or more.
If you enjoy these thicker chops, pick up a whole pork loin when they are on sale and cut it yourself. Half the price, and they will freeze great for 3-4 months.
Some thick chops will come with bone-in. This is fine but will take a few more minutes to cook since the bone will absorb more heat.
🧂Brining
I didn't brine in this recipe, but I recommend it if you have the time. Combine 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar (brown or white) with 2 cups of water.
Add the chops and refrigerate for 30 minutes to a few hours. After brining, rinse well to remove extra salt.
If you brine, you have already salted the chops, so do not use seasoning salt. Just some pepper and a sprinkle of paprika would be good.
🥣The Gravy (optional)
Everybody loves gravy, so let's make some great quick, and easy gravy.
I like to use a pork gravy base from Penzeys to make "pork broth." You can use chicken or vegetable broth if you don't have the gravy base.
There are two basic ways to make gravy. You can make a roux by mixing flour with the grease in the pan and cooking for a few minutes. Or our simple way of mixing flour in some liquid and adding that to boiling fluid.
Please visit How To Make Gravy at Home for more information on gravy.
❓FAQs
Yes. There are too many variables to cook by time or color, and expect acceptable results.
No, any oven-safe pan can work, but cast iron is perfect for searing any meat. It will transfer heat perfectly, leading to even heat across the entire surface without hot spots. It will also hold the heat well and is excellent when going from the stovetop to the oven.
Cast iron is cheap, durable, and will last generations. Every home cook should have a skillet or two.
Yes. Be careful about over-searing and cook to a final internal temperature. You may want to decrease the oven temperature by another 25°.
Another option would be to do a reverse searing method where you bake to 140° in the oven, then sear on the stovetop as the last step and get the temperature to the minimum safe 145°.
Yes. Grilling can be done, but I feel most home cooks will be better with stovetop-to-oven baking, where the heat and timing are easier to control.
📖Pork Chop Recipes
How to Grill Pork Chops on a Gas Grill
Pan Seared Oven Roasted Pork Chops
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Allow the pork chops to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes—preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
These center-cut chops are 1 ½ inches thick and weigh 12 oz each. If there is a fat ring, trim it to ½ inch thick and slice it at about 1-inch intervals.
Pat dry with paper towels and season to taste with seasoning salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add the seasoned pork chops. Sear both sides of the chops for 2-3 minutes until gettings some nice browning.
Transfer to the preheated oven and cook until an internal temperature of 145°-150°—about 20-25 minutes. Total cooking time will be variable due to the pork's thickness and the chops' start temperature. Remove from pan and tent lightly with foil while doing the gravy phase.
Using pork gravy base, mix 2 cups of pork broth. You can also use chicken or vegetable broth. Whisk 4 tablespoons flour into one cup of broth. Add the other cup of your broth to the pan over medium heat. When boiling, slowly add the broth/flour mixture while continuously whisking.
Continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
📝Recipe
Pan Seared Oven Roasted Thick Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 pork chops - 1 ½ to 2 inches thick or more
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Lawry's Seasoning salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
For Gravy
- 2 teaspoons Penzeys pork gravy base - or you can use broth
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Allow the pork chops to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes—preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
- These center-cut chops are 1 ½ inches thick and weigh 12 oz each. If there is a fat ring, trim it to ½ inch thick and slice it at about 1-inch intervals.
- Pat dry with paper towels and season to taste with seasoning salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add the seasoned pork chops. Sear both sides of the chops for 2-3 minutes until gettings some nice browning.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and cook until an internal temperature of 145°-150°—about 20-25 minutes. Total cooking time will be variable due to the pork's thickness and the chops' start temperature. Remove from pan and tent lightly with foil while doing the gravy phase.
Gravy Option
- Using pork gravy base, mix 2 cups of pork broth. You can also use chicken or vegetable broth. Whisk 4 tablespoons flour into one cup of broth. Add the other cup of your broth to the pan over medium heat. When boiling, slowly add the broth/flour mixture while continuously whisking.
- Add the other one cup of your broth to the pan over medium heat. When boiling, slowly add the broth/flour mixture while continuously whisking.
- Continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- This is a recipe for thick pork chops which are at least 1 ½ inch thick. If less then use Pan Seared Oven Roasted Pork Chops.
- Use an oven-safe pan like cast iron.
- Brine if you have time. A suggested brine is 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Be sure to refrigerate. If you brine, do not use any seasoning with salt.
- With thick pork chops, the most important tip is to rest to room temperature before starting to cook-30 minutes minimum.
- Sear to almost the final color you want.
- Never cook by time. Cook to the final temperature you want. Remember it will increase a few degrees after removed from the oven.
- The gravy is optional but very nice. I like to use pork gravy base but if you don't have that, use chicken or vegetable broth.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally published July 17, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Celesti
My family enjoys thick Bone-in pork chops on the grill. With the weather getting cooler I love cooking inside and keeping my kitchen warm.
What do you recommend for the cooking time once I place the bone-in pork chops in the preheated 400 degree oven ? Your recipes are easy to follow and my family enjoys many of your recipes. I am anxious to try this pork chop recipe.
Thank you !
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Celesti,
What thickness?
Dam
Celesti
The chops were about 2.5 inches thick, but I used your idea and left them sit an extra 10 mins and they were delicious. I love your recipes. Thanks.