For The Most Flavorful Boneless Pork Chops, Start With A Marinade

Boneless pork chops are an ideal protein choice for dinner because the cut is flavorful, versatile, and often priced lower than other options like beef. To make a pork chop dinner, you might use a dry rub of seasonings to bake or bread them to fry instead. But just like chicken and steak, there's another technique to flavor the meat according to Rich Parente, chef and owner of Clock Tower Grill in Brewster, New York, who also runs Clock Tower Farm with his wife.

"I like marinating boneless pork chops in a fall spice mix of clove, peppercorns, cinnamon[,] and apple cider," he tells Tasting Table. "You can marinate it overnight and then just cook it sous vide directly in the Ziploc bag that it's marinating in. Once it's cooked, sear it on the grill and enjoy."

Using the plastic bag to sous vide the meat not only gets more use out of the bag before it goes in the trash, but when you sous vide pork chops, it will bring the meat to the proper temperature (and keep it there). Out of everything else you should know about sous vide, the technique will tenderize the pork chops so that every bite is juicy and flavorful.

The autumnal marinade that Rich Parente suggests is a delicious option, but it's not the only one. If you want to stick with a simple marinade that will still impart flavor to the meat, use a combination of neutral oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and vinegar to give some acidity, brown sugar for sweetness, and your favorite spices. You can lean into Asian inspiration with soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, or Gochujang, or take note of Caribbean flavors with our jerk-marinated pork chop recipe. A little spice is always nice, so consider hot sauce, chilis, red chili flakes, or cayenne pepper in your marinade.

If you don't want to take the time to sous vide and then grill your pork chops, there are other options. Preheat the oven to bake them, but keep in mind that oven temperature will impact the texture of pork chops, and use the right heat level for the thickness of the cut. You can also pan-fry the marinated pork chops to get dinner on the table in less time. And to make sure your effort doesn't go to waste, here are the best ways to reheat pork chops if you have leftovers.