These easy oven pork chops are just the thing for when you’re wondering what to do with those pork chops!

St. Louis style BBQ pork chops in baking pan

I have a zillion recipes for cooking chicken. Pork chops, not so much. They are always a challenge for me, yet I always have a package or five in my freezer. I suspect I’m not alone, so I thought I’d share one of my “go to”, easy oven pork chop recipes. It’s not the prettiest dish, for sure, but it’s definitely tasty!

These St. Louis Style BBQ Pork Chops are both easy and delicious. And saucy. And crowd-pleasing. And made with basic pantry items. And mostly just cooks off in the oven, so the hands-on time is minimal. All good things!

Cook’s Notes

You can adjust the amount of chilli powder you add to taste and/or who you’re serving.

This recipe calls for bone-in, thick pork chops with some fat marbling. This will ensure that your pork chops are nice and moist.

While you don’t need a super-thick pork chop, it’s best not to start with the super-thin ones, as they are a little skimpy for this dish and more likely to overcook.

The cooking time will vary depending on how thick your pork chops are and whether they are bone-in or not.

If your sauce is still a little thin after broiling, simply flip your pork chops over, stir the sauce around a bit and broil again.

Serve this saucy pork chop dish with mashed potatoes and a green veg, for an easy and delicious meal!

St. Louis Style BBQ Pork Chops - easy oven pork chops, with a delicious bbq sauce

St. Louis style BBQ pork chops in baking pan

Get the Recipe: St. Louis Style BBQ Pork Chops

Pork chops baked with a generous amount of tomato BBQ sauce. Use thicker, bone-in chops with some fat marbling for this one. Lean/boneless pork doesn't work as well. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, for an easy and delicious dinner!
4.89 stars from 9 ratings
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 1-2 tsp chili powder
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes, or if you only have whole canned tomatoes, you can puree and measure out instead
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste (less if using fine salt)
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 6 thick bone-in pork chops, about 3 lb., 3/4-1 inch thick with some fat cap and marbling of fat
  • 2 Tbsp. cooking oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 350 F.  
  • In a large saucepan, heat bacon over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, garlic and onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, as needed, then remove from heat and set aside. 
  • Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  • Transfer pork to a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and pour sauce on top of pork, to cover pork chops. Bake, uncovered, about 30-40 minutes, or until pork is cooked through (140F when tested with thermometer). *NOTE: Baking time will be totally dependent on the thickness of the chops you start with. Thicker pork will take longer. Thinner will take less. 
  • Remove from oven and heat the broiler in your oven, with a rack at about 6-8 inches away from the heat source. Return baking dish to oven under the broiler for a 3-5 minutes to caramelize the sauce on the chops slightly.

Notes

Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Author: Jennifer
Calories: 426kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 1378mg, Potassium: 861mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 305IU, Vitamin C: 8.8mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 2.3mg
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