Related Topics:
- How To Make Chicken Fried Pork Steak
- How To Make Southern-Style Smothered Pork Chops
- The Best Smoked Pork Chops!
Make these sous vide pork chops and ensure you will avoid dry overcooked chops that taste like wood! These pork chops are lightly seasoned and super moist for a tender, succulent main dish option.
The beauty of sous vide cooking is that you can dial up your desired temperature and then do nothing as your food is cooked perfectly. It's easy, no fuss; it's basically cheating. I almost feel guilty cooking in this manner.
Beats and Eats (music pairing for sous vide pork chops)
Before deciding food was going to be my career path, once upon a time I had hip hop producer dreams. Diamond D is one of my favorites all time, but he isn't as well known as others like Kanye West or Dr. Dre. His music as well as my recipes could be described as best kept secrets. Sous vide at home cooking is another. Sous vide is basically a cheat code for cooking which makes them a match made in heaven for pork chops as it easily addresses the primary concern of cooking pork chops which is avoiding overcooking.
What is Sous Vide?
Sous Vide is a fancy word and difficult to pronounce (sue-veed) on top of that. If you're new to it don't worry pronouncing it is the only thing about it that's difficult. Sous vide cooking is actually an easy method. If you haven't heard of it, it's because sous vide cooking has been one of the restaurant industry's best-kept secrets.
It's a technique that uses a heated water bath to cook food to precise temperatures. Food is typically vacuum sealed and then cooked submerged in water. The beauty of the tool is you can cook the food to the exact precise internal temperature. Meat proteins are most commonly cooked using this method, particularly steak and to a lesser degree pork chops, such as this recipe. Vegetables are also in play.
Ingredients Needed To Make Sous Vide Pork Chops
- Bone-in Pork Chops
- Fresh Oregano or Thyme
- Garlic Cloves
- Black Pepper
- Kosher Salt
- Olive Oil
How To Cook Sous Vide Pork Chops (step by step)
Prepare the Pork Chops
- Pre-heat the sous vide device to 140 degrees F.
- Salt and pepper the pork chops to taste. Put the chops in a freezer bag or vacuum seal bag with the garlic, fresh herbs, and olive oil then remove the air through a vacuum sealer or the displacement method. Drop pork chops in the bath for at least 1 hour.
Finish the Pork Chops
- Remove bag from bath. Take chops out of the bag, pat dry and lightly re-season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard the herbs and garlic from the bag.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet on high and add a high smoke point oil like ghee or grapeseed oil. Sear for 45 seconds on each side. Remove pork chops from skillet and place on a platter.
Cooking Consideration and Tips for Sous Vide Pork Chops
I use a vacuum zeal for sous vide cooking, but it's not required. The old water displacement method works well. Using the latter approach means you place the pork chops in a ziplock bag and place it in the water bath unclosed. Submerge the bag as deep into the water as you can while preventing water from entering the bag. The pressure from the water will force all the air out of the bag, so once it does close the bag.
If your pork chops aren't heavy enough to stay submerged fully you may need to add weight. I've never had this issue with pork chops or steak, but I've experienced it with other foods.
The thickness of the pork chops matters. I don't change temperature, but I will increase cook time depending on size/thickness. I skew closer to 2 hours for thicker pork chops.
I know you're thinking - 1-2 hours to cook pork chops! Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. However, the trade-off is perfection in both texture and taste. And it's quite satisfying at least to me, to cook something to the perfect preferred temperature.
Sous vide pork chops aren't the prettiest chops when they're done. Though they are completely done the external side will be quite pale and not that dark golden color we expect for cooked pork chops. The reason is that you're not cooking at those super high temperatures. Given this, you'll want to give the chops a very quick sear. I prefer to get a cast-iron skillet really hot and sear about a minute per side. You can achieve the same by using a broiler.
For next-level flavor add butter to the skillet and spoon over the pork chops repeatedly as they sear in the skillet.
Bone-in pork chops are my preferred cuts to use. Rib chops are great, but I'm a bigger fan of the center cut chops or the porterhouse steaks style if you can find ones reasonably thick.
Because there are bones present there is a chance that the chops can puncture ziplock bags if you're using them. You can always wrap the tips somehow as a preventive measure.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Making Sous Vide Pork Chops
What type of Sous Vide Cooker Do You Use?
I use the Anova Precision Cooker. It's efficient, requires very little storage space, and comes with Bluetooth capabilities which come in handy when you're multi-tasking!
How long does it take to cook a pork chop sous vide?
You actually have a range of time to cook with, one to four hours to be exact. I tend to stay on the shorter side 1-2 hours as I find this is where the optimal combination of juiciness and firmness is reached. Once you get into longer cooking times the pork chops get a little too soft for my tastes. But if you prefer a softer, less chewy texture feel free to cook longer.
Should I marinate pork chops before sous vide?
You can, but it's not necessary unless you want to add a "signature" taste profile. You can season as simple as salt, pepper, oil, and fresh herbs. They will be plenty flavorful as that's one of the benefits of cooking sous vide.
What temperature should I cook sous vide pork chops at?
It depends on how you like to eat pork. For rare you're looking at 130 degrees F. This recipe calls for medium-rare which you achieve by cooking at 140 degrees. Anything 160 and above will be well-done. The texture of these chops won't be dry and tough like old-school overcooked cafeteria pork chops, but they'll definitely have a more firm texture.
Should I Use Bone-in or Boneless pork chops?
Either is fine and will work under the same temperature and timing settings, but bone-in is recommended because that bone means more flavor!
Is brining necessary?
I love a good brined pork chop, but brining is totally unnecessary with sous vide cooking. Brining is used to add moisture to the meats, but standard sous vide cooking nets really tender results assuming you use the right temperature.
What Should I Serve With Sous Vide Pork Chops?
Pork chops are such a comfort food staple that they deserve similar sides. I like a good starchy side like mashed potatoes, french fries, or mac and cheese. A mess of Southern collard greens or cucumber salad are great ways to fill out the menu.
For Similar Pork Chop Recipes Try These:
For other sous vide recipes try these:
Sous Vide Radishes with Pineapple Glaze
Lamb Chops with Chocolate Curry Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Sous Vide Precision Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 medium pork chops
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano or thyme
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Pork Chops
- Pre-heat the sous vide device to 140 degrees F.
- Salt and pepper the pork chops to taste. Put the chops in a freezer bag or vacuum seal bag with the garlic, fresh herbs, and olive oil then remove the air through a vacuum sealer or the displacement method. Drop pork chops in the bath for at least 1 hour.
Finish the Pork Chops
- Remove bag from bath. Take chops out of the bag, pat dry and lightly re-season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard the herbs and garlic from the bag.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet on high and add a high smoke point oil like ghee orgrapeseed oil. Sear for 45 seconds on each side. Remove pork chops from skillet and place on a platter.
Petro
Monday 7th of February 2022
Thanks for this amazing recipe, it was so good, my whole family loved it!
GUNJAN C Dudani
Sunday 6th of February 2022
such an awesome capture and so attractive. Loved the ingredients and the method of cooking too.
Katie Crenshaw
Sunday 6th of February 2022
I learned so much from this recipe. The pork chops turned out DELICIOUS!
annie
Sunday 6th of February 2022
These pork chops turned out great! They were so tender and delicious. Thank you!
Dana
Friday 4th of February 2022
I didn't realize how easy sous vide is and this is now my go-to for when doing pork chops. They came out so tender and delicious.