Here's How Long To Broil Pork Chops For Juicy, Tender Results

If you'd like to prepare a convenient meal of pork chops, you might enjoy cooking them in a simple way that's quick, easy, and leaves the meat ultra tender. If you're used to baking, grilling, or pan-frying pork chops, you will find that broiling them is also very effective. The reason why restaurant pork chops are better than homemade can often be boiled down to using the optimal time and temperature, so it's important to master this domain.

Broiling on high takes place at about 500 degrees Fahrenheit, so cooking pork chops using the broiler as a primary method will shorten the cooking time significantly compared to baking. In general, with the top rack about 9 inches from the heat element, broiling a 3/4-inch pork chop on the 500-degree high setting will take about 4 to 6 minutes on each side; 1-inch chops will take 7 to 8 minutes per side; and each side of 1-½ inch cuts takes about 9 to 10 minutes. One of the best tips for cooking the juiciest pork chops is to use bone-in pork chops. The bone will help the pork maintain juiciness while adding flavor, but it takes a couple of minutes longer, so you will need to adjust the cooking time when preparing pork chops with the bone.

Broiling is the perfect way to quickly brown and crisp the outside of the pork, while making the meat tender and flavorful. To help you do it well, there are additional culinary techniques you can enlist for the perfect chops. Before you even put the pork in the oven, consider brining it for about an hour. A simple brine will work well, and you can enhance the flavor by preparing a smothered aromatic pork chop recipe using a brine made of apple cider vinegar, water, orange juice, brown sugar, kosher salt, and aniseed. After the brine, let the raw pork chops sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, and pat off any excess moisture before cooking them so the meat broils instead of steams.

Another broiling technique that affects cooking time is using the broiler to finish meat that has initially been cooked, such as by searing it in a frying pan for 1 to 2 minutes. This is another way to create a crispy crust while keeping the pork juicy. When using the broiler to finish the meat rather than cook it, the broiling time can be reduced slightly — just check the internal temperature with a digital meat thermometer. Before serving, the internal temperature should reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit, but you can remove the meat from the oven at 140 degrees and let it rest for 6 minutes. Carryover cooking will add 5 degrees outside of the oven, and resting will redistribute the juices for mouthwateringly juicy chops.