Weeknight Skillet
Garlic Butter Pork Chops
Thick chops basted in foaming garlic herb butter, done in 20 minutes.
Four ingredients do most of the work here: a hot pan, butter, garlic, and woody herbs. Basting is the whole technique, and it turns a plain chop into something you'd order out.
Ingredients
- 4 thick-cut pork chops
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp butter
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Method
- 1
Pat the chops dry and season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Let them sit 10 minutes at room temperature.
- 2
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high until it shimmers.
- 3
Sear the chops 4–5 minutes per side without moving them, until a deep crust forms.
- 4
Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter, crushed garlic, thyme, and rosemary.
- 5
Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the chops continuously for 2–4 minutes, until they reach 145°F.
- 6
Rest the chops 3 minutes, then spoon the pan butter over the top before serving.
- 7
Flavor Table Tip: Thick chops are far more forgiving — thin ones go from perfect to dry in under a minute.