These delicious, thick Pork Chops with Peppercorn Sauce are one of my favourite ways to enjoy a pork chop dinner.
It's been a long while since I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner. Not because I don't care, but because, without fail, he would always say "pork chops". Yes, this is a man who is married to a food blogger and that's all he's got. So yeah, I don't ask anymore, but I do occasionally, actually make pork chops :)
This easy pork chop recipe is one of my favourites. The Peppercorn Sauce is plate-licking good and it's perfect with the chops. It's also very tweakable, by switching up the wine (or omitting it altogether) and adding as much pepper as you're comfortable with.
When it comes to pork chops though, I quickly learned that the secret to a great pork chop is to brine them. Brining pork chops in a salt/water solution, changes the cellular structure of the meat, resulting in a more tender finished pork chop. And if you're ever dug in to a pork chop and found it a bit like shoe leather, you'll appreciate that!
I've never been much of a briner, but I've discovered the benefit that this simple preparation step can have on pork chops, so I try to plan for a little brine whenever pork chops are on the menu.
How to Brine Pork Chops
My basic formula for a brine is 1/4 cup kosher salt with 4 cups water. I like to add a bit of sugar to mine, as well (to balance out the saltiness). In order to get the salt and sugar to dissolve, you'll want to mix them first with boiling water, then cool it down with some cold water. So here's how it breaks down then ...
1/4 cup kosher salt (or 2 Tbsp fine table salt)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water
Dissolve the salt and brown sugar with 2 cups of boiling water, then add 2 cups of cold water to the mixture, which will cool it. Check the temperature of the brine and be sure your brine is not too warm when adding your meat. Allow to cool a bit more if necessary.
Add brine to a container deep enough to hold all the brine and allow you to submerge your pork chops. You may need to put a weight on top to keep them down in the brining liquid. Cover with plastic or foil wrap and always refrigerate while brining.
How Long to Brine Pork Chops
The ideal time to brine nice 1-inch + thick chops would be about 8 - 10 hours, so perhaps you start the brining process in the morning for that evening's' dinner. That's the ideal and as we all know, things don't always go as planned. So know that you can brine for as little as 30 minutes, if that's all the time you have to work with. A little brining is better than no brining. On the other end of the spectrum, it is not recommended to brine your pork thick chops any more than about 12 hours. Large cuts of pork (such as a pork loin roast) can brine longer, but smaller cuts are best kept under 12 hours. Thinner pork chops should ideally brine about 4 hours.
What to Do After You Brine Your Pork Chops
Once your pork chops have brined, rinse several times to remove any surface salt and dry well. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, to come to room temperature. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook. If you like, you can dredge your pork chops in flour, which will give your fried pork chops a nice crust and colour.
Add Some Flavour to Your Brine!
If you like, you can replace some of the water in your brine with other liquids to add flavour to your pork chops, such as beer, cider, wine or vinegar. You can also add fresh herbs to the brining liquid, such as rosemary, sage, thyme etc. For this peppercorn pork, a few peppercorns added to the brining liquid would be a great idea.
Cook's Notes for Pork Chops with Peppercorn Sauce
While I'm sold on the benefits of brining my pork chops, it's an optional step. As noted above though, if you can squeeze in even a short brining time (even 30-45 minutes), it's worth it.
Look for nice thick pork chops for this one. Centre cut pork chops are the nicest, as they have a nice solid piece of meat.
If you own a cast iron skillet, it should definitely be your cooking pan of choice for this dish :)
As mentioned above, you can vary the wine depending on what you have on hand. White or red is fine, or even some nice dry Marsala wine works well. Same with the broth choice. I prefer chicken broth in this one myself, but beef is also nice.
Adjust the amount of pepper to your taste. Do be sure to crush the peppercorns though. You can use a mortar and pestle if you have one or if not, put the peppercorns in a little ziploc bag and whack them with a rolling pin. Don't whack too much though. You don't want powdered pepper. You really just want them not to be whole. Large pieces are fine.
Dairy free? This sauce is still lovely without the cream at the end, so if you're avoiding dairy, just skip it!
Don't forget to salt your sauce at the end. While pepper is the star here, the sauce needs a good salting to really round out the flavours.
Pork Chops with Peppercorn Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 one-inch thick bone-in centre cut pork chops (, brined if you like *See Notes)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbsp flour
Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup very finely chopped shallots (or onion)
- 2 - 3 tsp crushed peppercorns (black, green or red or a mixture )
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup red or white wine (or dry Marsala wine)
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
- 2 - 3 thyme sprigs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (or lighter cream and add more thickener)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
To thicken gravy (add only as much as needed):
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Heat olive oil and butter in an oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat dry pork chops and season with salt and pepper. Scatter flour on plate and dredge pork chops lightly on both sides. Sear chops in hot skillet until lightly golden on both sides. Pop the skillet with pork chops into preheated oven and cook until pork reaches 135F, about 10-12 minutes (depending on thickness of chops). Note that this is a little undercooked because it will cook a bit further on the stove-top and a bit more as it rests, so it will get to the recommended 145F in the end.
- Remove from oven and place over medium-high heat on the stove-top. Quickly brown the chops on the stove-top, then remove to a plate to rest.
- To the hot skillet, add 1 Tbsp butter, onions and peppercorns and stir until onions are golden, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add broth, Dijon mustard and thyme sprigs. Reduce heat to medium and allow sauce to simmer/reduce for a few minutes. Add cream and then salt and pepper, to taste. To thicken gravy, combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add a bit at a time to your hot gravy, stirring, until desired thickness is achieved.
- Spoon hot sauce over pork chops. Finish with a generous grind of freshly ground pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
More Pork Chop Recipes from Seasons and Suppers
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If you don't have an instant-read thermometer in your kitchen yet, why not make it your New Year's resolution to fix that :) I think they are an essential kitchen tool, especially when it comes to cooking meat. Why guess? Just stick that thermometer in and you'll know exactly when your meat is cooked to perfection!
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DonnaB says
Thank you Jennifer for posting such a fabulous recipe! My husband and I absolutely loved this dish. He told me five times how much he really loved the sauce. :) Keep the great recipes coming!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Donna :) Thanks so much!
Mary Perez says
Made this tonight for didn’t have time to brine the chops. These chops were a 10. They were exceptionally wonderful. I was even able to make adjustments for my weight watchers points program. This will become a staple in our house. Thank you sooo much for this recipe.
Jennifer says
So happy to hear, Mary! Thanks so much :)
Claire Van Allen says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. Did not need to thicken sauce.
Maybe add a note about when to add the Dijon mustard
Thanks for sharing
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Claire and thanks for the heads up re the Dijon. I have fixed that in the recipe card :) Thanks!
Valerie says
I had company in for dinner tonight and served this dish, with baby potatoes, glazed carrots, asparagus and green beans. I used chicken broth only and added chopped mushrooms, it was a big success. Everyone loved it. The sauce was so very tasty. I marinated it for about 7 hrs. It’s certainly a keeper.
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Valerie! Thanks so much :)
Amanda says
My hubby and I both loved this recipe! I used thick center cut boneless chops, brined as recommended! I doubled the recipe, except the cooking wine (I used cooking sherry). I used a dash of ground thyme and regular mustard, because that’s what I had on hand. I wouldn’t sprinkle extra salt next time, the brine adds plenty. I served with mashed red skin potatoes and green beans. We will definitely add this to the regular rotation! Thanks!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Amanda :) Thanks so much!
Heather says
This was a hit for my family. So delicious, I could drink the sauce! Will definitely make again and again.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Heather! I could drink it, too :) Thanks!
Linda says
Absolute perfection, made your recipe tonight for dinner. My husband gave it a keeper status, which is saying alot. The brine is the key. Left out the thyme, but that was all (didn't have) thank you for sharing.
Jennifer says
So glad you both enjoyed it :) Thanks so much!
Rick says
Made this last night for a dinner party of six . Excellent, I have shared the recipe to two of the dinner guests so far today. I cut up a pork loin and set it in the brine for about seven hours, they were thick. End result was perfectly tender and very tasty. Thank You for sharing.
Jennifer says
Glad to hear, Rick! Thanks :)
Megan says
Made this tonight and used tenderloin instead of chops. Fantastic flavor profile and not too challenging for an intermediate (at best) chef. Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer says
Sounds great, Megan. So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)
Joe says
I have made this sauce with several wines. I do prefer the white wine as the red wine causes the sauce to become a purplish shade. They both taste fantastic however.
Pam says
I forgot to add the stars!!?
Pam says
My family rated this a 10 and a keeper! I used smaller boneless pork chops and took them out at 140*, let the sauce reduce and put them back in for 5 minutes. That was the only change.... So, thank you!!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear Pam! Thanks :)
Pam says
Honestly, they’re still talking about it. They never do that! Happy Holidays, Jennifer!
Jennifer says
Lol! Thanks and you, too :)
Tina says
Forgot the five star rating!
Jennifer says
Thanks :)
Tina says
The best pork chops I’ve ever tasted! Hard to believe they came from my kitchen....obviously a fantastic recipe ?
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Tina! One of my favourites :)
Stacey says
Made this today. I used center cut, no-bone, chops that were a little over an inch thick. I only had time to brine for 1.5 hours. They were amazing! Will definitely be making again....and again! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Stacey :) Thanks!
Brenda says
Oh my goodness...this is awesome. It has now become my favorite meal. Thank-you.
Jennifer says
Thanks Brenda! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
I love your peppercorn sauce, such a delicious way to prepare pork chops!
Jennifer says
Thanks Laura :)
Milena | Craft Beering says
I will take the cream:) Pork chops are definitely a comfort food in my mind and your peppercorn sauce is simply outstanding!
Jennifer says
I always do the cream too, of course :) Thanks Milena!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
I want to face plant right into that Jennifer :)
Jennifer says
Lol! Thanks Sue :)
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Tom and I both LOVE peppercorn sauce Jennifer! Tom grew up eating pork chops and now I make them quite often and we both really enjoy them. I can't wait to try this dish!
Jennifer says
Thanks Mary Ann and Rick grew up with pork chops, too (his Dad was a pig farmer!) Nostalgic food :)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Pork chops are something that I don't think about having often, but when we do (or I see a yummy recipe this like one), I always think 'I gotta have them more often'. This looks delicious, Jennifer and that peppercorn sauce??? Pour it on!! Big YUM!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Dawn :)
Chris Scheuer says
So many great tips here Jennifer! I forget about pork chops but you're making me crave them!
Jennifer says
Thanks Chris! If I ever come across some great, thick pork chops, I always pick them up. A nice change from beef.
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Such a perfect dinner! I am always in the mood for pork chops but I rarely do anything all that special with them...until now! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Jennifer says
Thanks Annie! Unlike my husband, I'm not the biggest fan of just a hunk of meat, so I need a sauce. I always need a sauce :)
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
You know I'm loving this recipe Jennifer! What a gorgeous sauce - and loads of pepper and peppercorns is always a good idea. My husband always asks for meatloaf - or nachos - haha. Lovely!
Jennifer says
Thanks Tricia! And yes, I still can't believe that's the only thing he can ever think of :)