Brown Sugar & Thyme Pork Chops

Golden-brown pork chops sizzling in a stainless steel pan, showing the caramelized crust achieved through the flip-often method and seasoned with fresh thyme.

Pan-fried, moist and juicy pork chops are first marinated in a combination of brown sugar, thyme, toasted cumin seeds, garlic and apple cider vinegar. You’ll practice the flip often method to achieve an even golden crust while keeping the meat tender.

Serves 1 | Active Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours

Step 1: Preparing the Marinade & Marinating

1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp fresh thyme
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
9 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 tbsp brown sugar (maple syrup or honey)
4 pork chops
kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

To prepare the marinade, first toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over low heat until fragrant. Mince the garlic and remove the leaves from the thyme.

Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Taste the marinade and adjust the flavors to your liking.

Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Place the pork chops into a shallow dish and pour the marinade over top. Turn the meat to thoroughly coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.

Step 2: Cooking the Pork & Serving

2 to 3 tsp grapeseed oil

Preheat a large, stainless-steel pan over medium-high heat. Drain the pork chops and lightly pat dry with paper towel to remove any excess marinade. Discard the marinade.

Once the pan is ready, add the oil to the pan, followed by the pork chops. Lower the heat to medium and use the flip often method to cook the pork chops. Cook the pork chops for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until just cooked through (the pork can be a tiny bit pink inside).

Once done, transfer to a plate and cover with vented foil to rest. Once rested, serve immediately. You may even want to make a pan sauce to accompany the pork.

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