When I created this pan to oven baked pork chop recipe, I was celebrating something special. Here in the Bay Area we’re lucky enough to have dozens of farm-fresh CSA boxes to choose from, but recently a group of pork ranchers and foodie organizations banded together to bring us a bi-monthly pork CSA program. The CSA provides some of the best meat I’ve ever eaten – organic, free-range, locally-raised pork from a handful of different heritage breeds (Berkshires, Ossabaws, and Mangalitsas, in case you’re interested).
To show my appreciation for these pigs and the folks who put so much time and energy into raising them, I decided to cook them simply and let their brilliant flavor and texture speak for themself. I put this recipe together based on a method I adapted from the Grand Poobah of meat: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. My love for his River Cottage Meat Book is no secret (check my loving cookbook review), and I can’t recommend it enough. If you love meat, go and get it. Now. I’ll wait till you get back.
And in case you’re wondering how long you should cook your pork chops for, here’s a great post on pork chop cooking times.
Pan to Oven Baked Pork Chops Recipe
- 4 fresh, thick pork chops
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large whole head of garlic
- Olive oil
- 1 cup dry white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped fine
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly salt and pepper your chops on both sides and set aside.
- Pop all of the little cloves out of your head of garlic. Don’t peel them – leaving the peel on will protect them from burning and will roast them to a perfect consistency while the chops cook. Instead, crush them gently with the side of a heavy knife.
- In a Dutch oven or other stove-to-oven-proof skillet that won’t react to alcohol (sorry – your cast iron is out, unless it’s enameled), heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat and toss in the whole, crushed garlic cloves. Fry for three minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon as set aside in a bowl.
- Place chops in the pan and brown for one minute per side, then pull them out with a pair of tongs and set aside on a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add wine to pan. Use a spatula to deglaze and get up all the savory little bits on the bottom. Simmer until the wine reduces by half.
- Add the chops back into the pan, allowing the boney ends to stick up and out of the wine so that they get nice and crispy. Ideally the ends will stick out of the pan, but if you’re using a tall Dutch oven, just make sure they’re a few inches above the liquid.
- Sprinkle chopped rosemary over the top of the chops and put the pan in the oven. Cook until the chops reach an internal temperature of 150°F, about 15-20 minutes, basting with pan juices halfway through. Cooking time depends on how thick your chops are. If you’re using a digital meat thermometer, insert the probe and set the beeper-thingie* to 150°F.
- Once the meat has reached the proper temperature, remove from the oven and cover the main meaty parts with foil, leaving the [hopefully] crispy ends poking out where they won’t get soggy. Allow to rest for ten minutes.
- Serve each chop topped with a few whole cloves of garlic, some colcannon mashed potatoes and a salad. Drizzle absolutely everything with the juices from the pan – this stuff is liquid love!
Seared chops, before going into the oven
More pork chop recipes from other food blogs:
- Mom’s Perfect Pork Chops Recipe – Simply Recipes
- Vietnamese Chops – The Food Section
- Chops Simmered in Milk – Meathenge
*Sometimes the word “thingie” just works best. 
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I did pan to oven chicken last night–it was so good that this seems genius to me…I’ll do it on a day my daughter (who won’t eat porK) gets leftovers…Yum.
I love this photo! I want to eat it! How do you take such beautiful images? Please post a tutrial.
Thanks, Ola!
I also love this method with chicken – though I haven’t done it in a while. Thanks for reminding me.
These pork chops look awesome. I wish Cape Cod had as many food options as the Bay Area. I will now know to keep my eyes peeling for CSA when I shop for meat. Thanks for the tip!
.-= Check out Alexandra´s last blog post: High-Court Corporate-Money Decision On My Mind =-.
These folks might be a good resource for you:
http://slowfoodcapecod.org/
Still plowing my way through River Cottage Meat – it’s way too heavy to take on the train, so that takes away a lot of my reading time. But I will persevere, if only to give a beautiful raw chop like that the roasting it deserves.
.-= Check out Casey@Good. Food. Stories.´s last blog post: Well-Stocked: Pancetta at the ready =-.
It’s a bear, isn’t it? So much information, and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t make it all so interesting.
This sounds delish! We love pork with garlic at our house! I’ve got some chops in the fridge and a half bottle of white wine, we’ll give it a go tonight!
Cheers!
Really, is there a better combination?
As a good Southerner, there is nothing I love more than some beautifully cooked pork. Looks amazingly delicious.
.-= Check out Melanie McMinn´s last blog post: First Thursdays =-.
Thanks, dear
Yum Yum Yum!
I too love those River Cottage Books with a passion.
.-= Check out Sam (The Second Lunch)´s last blog post: Winter Fancy Food Show 2010 =-.
And I’ll bet you have them all, don’t you?
Wow, what a gorgeous chop. How much meat are you getting in the CSA?
.-= Check out maggie´s last blog post: Citrus Salad with Slow-Cooked Pork Belly and Balsamic Onions =-.
A lot! Ten pound shares go for $70 each – $7/lb isn’t bad for the quality of the meat. They went up $1/lb from last time, but they’ve improved the administrivia of the program, which I imagine was expensive.
OMG this looks so good! I’m sitting here on my couch nursing a cold and too tired to cook dinner, but this may just make me get up off my butt and put something together, although all I want now are pan fried pork chops!!
.-= Check out Fran´s last blog post: It’s What Soothes Me =-.
Aw, I hope you feel better, Fran. Pork will cure what ails ya.
Oh, kill me now, those chops sound so good! I need to get sone good pork. What does Hugh say to do with sausage?
.-= Check out Heather in SF @HeatherHAL´s last blog post: In Search Of: The Yeti =-.
He has lots to say about sausage! You should come over and peruse my River Cottage collection.
I love pork. I wish we had a pork CSA where I am from (MN).
Have you searched google? If I hear of any, I’ll reply here!
Delish! I have to try this one
Report back and let me know how it goes…
I’ve never–not once–made pork chops. But this post is an inspiration. Maybe I’ll be brave enough to buy some next time I”m at the grocery store?!
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Oh, definitely report back and share how your first cooking goes! I avoided them for years because I’d grown up on dry pork chops, but with these tips, it was pretty straightforward.
This looks fabulous. I love pork–shredded, stuffed, baked. This recipe looks so simple and tasty.
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I made a gorgeous pork roast in a wood oven a few weeks ago, and it turned amazing. Simple spices, rosemary and pepper. I’ve been feeling pork dishes lately, it’s a great ingredient. This post got me thinking about pork chops for this weekend, thank you for the inspiration! Happy February!
.-= Check out tiina´s last blog post: { bacon onion biscuits } =-.
A wood oven? That sounds divine. I will definitely have to look into that.
Happy February! Where did January go??
I’ve never made pork chops, either. I don’t eat them – although I must admit that your description and photos make them look oh, so good.
How would you do this with chicken – would you use pieces or cutlets??
I would definitely use cutlets – you could do it with thighs as well, though I think that this would give you some crazy-succulent breast pieces. Thighs are pretty tender on their own and tough to dry out.
I love that you’ve got a port CSA! These look great. I’m usually not a big fan of chops, but I may have to try this.
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hey, this looks delicious, i have a question however.
you mention that you need an enameled dutch because cast iron would react to the alcohol? how? is my question. ive never heard that so im just curious why? Ive been looking for a good pork chop recipe i could make in my cast iron dutch.
Thank you =)
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