These sweet and spicy brown sugar pork chops are covered in a quick and easy homemade spice rub then seared to a golden brown and finished off baking in the oven in a simple and rich brown sugar glaze. This quick weeknight dinner only takes 30 minutes and truly, your whole family will absolutely love this one!
So often people get intimidated by the idea of pork chops because they assume that pork chops always end up dry. Not these ones! They're seared to golden perfection before being baked in the oven in a brown sugar sauce that turns into a glaze and glazes the pork chops and ensures a tender, juicy and flavourful chop. If you're looking for other pork recipes try these Honey Garlic Glazed Pork Belly Slices or this super simple slow cooker maple glazed ham- it's perfect for a Sunday Roast.
Brown Sugar Pork Chops
Like this recipe? Pin it to your Dinner pinboard!
Follow SavvyBites on Pinterest
Ingredients needed
- Pork chops- I've used the pork chops with the bone in them, but you can use boneless loin chop if you want to. They both work really well for this recipe.
- Dark brown sugar- Dark sugar is really important here for making the sauce dark and rich. Light brown sugar won't be rich enough to give the sauce enough depth.
For the spice rub
- Paprika, Cajun seasoning, garlic granules, chilli powder, oregano, smoked sea salt (available in the spice aisle in Aldi)
- Butter- Melted butter for the sauce, mixes with water and creates an emulsion sauce
- Lemon juice- This is an absolute necessity to balance the sweetness of the sauce and the richness of the pork
Step by step directions
Step 1 & 2
Making the spice rub
- Make the spice rub by mixing the spices in a bowl. *You can double or even triple the recipe and keep some of the spice rub for a later time. It works amazing with chicken or beef.
- Coat the pork chops in the spice rub. Do all the chops at once and set them aside while you heat the skillet on the hob.
Step 3 & 4
Searing the pork chops
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet (I've used this cast iron one). Once the oil is hot sear the pork chops on both sides. You may need to sear them in batches. There will be some spice rub in the pan that has come off the chops.
- Leave it in so it adds to the sauce, just turn the heat down slightly so that it doesn't burn.
Step 5 & 6
Making the sauce
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the sauce and bring it to a simmer. Whisk the sauce well, so that it emulsifies. You may need to add some water to thin out the sauce a little bit. * It will thicken as it bakes in the oven. Taste for seasoning. You may need to add some salt.
- Add the pork chops back to the pan and place in the oven for about 10 minutes to finish cooking. The amount of time required in the oven will be dependant on the thickness of the pork chops. These Aldi chops are about ½ inch thick and they took 10 minutes. Pork chops are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 63ºC.
FAQ's
- Q. Can these pork chops be made in advance?
- A. I don't recommend it. They only take 30 minutes, and while they do make really good leftovers, they are at their absolute best when they're done fresh.
- Q. Do I have to use bone-in pork chops?
- A. As mentioned above, you can use boneless pork loin chops for this recipe just as easily.
Storage
The Aldi pack of pork chops with the bone in is quite large. You'll get 6 large chops which means you will more than likely have leftovers.
- Cool the pork chops completely in the glaze.
- You can cut the pork off the bone or leave the bone in.
- Place in an airtight container and cover with the remaining glaze. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, place in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30-second intervals until the pork is hot.
More one-pot recipes
- Sweet and sour chicken- you can substitute pork in this recipe
- Crispy Chinese lemon chicken
- Red Thai curry meatballs- can substitute minced pork in this recipe
Tools used
Need help with meal planning? You can find our (Aldi ingredients only) weekly meal plans here! Sign up to receive them free every week or take our quick meal planning course and grab the blank meal planner and use all these recipes to create your own meal plans.
Brown Sugar Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 6 (6) pork chops
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- For the spice rub
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Cajun spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1 ½ teaspoons) garlic granules
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) paprika
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) smoked sea salt
- For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons (4 tablespoons) salted butter
- 4 tablespoons (4 tablespoons) brown sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Make the spice rub by mixing the spices in a bowl. *You can double or even triple the recipe and keep some of the spice rub for a later time. It works amazing with chicken or beef.
- Coat the pork chops in the spice rub. Do all the chops at once and set them aside while you heat the skillet on the hob.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet (I've used this cast iron one). Once the oil is hot sear the pork chops on both sides. You may need to sear them in batches. There will be some spice rub in the pan that has come off the chops. Leave it in so it adds to the sauce, just turn the heat down slightly so that it doesn't burn.
- Once the chops are seared, add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Mix the brown sugar into the butter and let the sugar melt too. This sauce will be thick.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the sauce and bring it to a simmer. Whisk the sauce well, so that it emulsifies. You may need to add some water to thin out the sauce a little bit. * It will thicken as it bakes in the oven. Taste for seasoning. You may need to add some salt.
- Add the pork chops back to the pan and place in the oven for about 10 minutes to finish cooking. The amount of time required in the oven will be dependant on the thickness of the pork chops. These Aldi chops are about ½ inch thick and they took 10 minutes. Pork chops are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 63ºC.
- Serve over rice or mashed potatoes
Notes
Nutrition
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND COOKING ALONG WITH ME! IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE A QUESTION, I’D LOVE IT IF YOU LEFT A COMMENT AND A RATING. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ALONG ON PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM TO SEE WHAT WE’RE EATING, PINNING AND A LITTLE BEHIND THE SCENES TOO!
Leave a Reply