Wait… you have this beautiful piece of meat and you are going to cook it HOW? Meet Butter Sage Pork Chops, foodie friends.
Butter Sage Pork Chops are pan seared pork chops in a simple butter, garlic and sage sauce. Sear in cast iron and then finish in the oven for the best pork chop recipe ever!
A simple technique that I use on pork, chicken and beef! Really any cut of meat and any fresh herbs I have lying around will do, but sage happens to be my favorite.
Yep- I’m throwing that bad boy in the cast iron! Butter Sage Pork Chops combine only 6 ingredients- two being salt and pepper- with the TLC of a well-seasoned cast iron for a crispy crust and succulent interior.
Cast iron really is the way to go (even when the grill is calling your name) for a thick chop like this.
It can take a long time to get pork cooked thoroughly on the grill and by the time the center is done, the outside is dry and chewy. No marinade will penetrate through a 1 1/2 inch thick cut of meat to keep it moist.
And no marinade is one of the best parts of this recipe. No prep work. NONE! You get all the flavor you need from browning it.
You can literally come home and throw it in the pan with just a few chops of garlic. For someone that doesn’t always plan ahead (pointing at me), this is a dream come true!
This is one recipe where quality ingredients are paramount. I highly suggest using fresh garlic and not the bottled kind. When choosing an herb, especially safe, sniff it to make sure it is fragrant.
And lastly, the butter. Butters are not created equal. Use a high quality, grass-fed beef butter, preferably one of the European brands. Or make your own butter.
Pair these skillet pork chops with:
Before you get started, make sure you know how to properly season your cast iron and how to clean your cast iron!
Butter Sage Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 1 1/2 inch thick bone-in pork chops
- 1/4 cup sage leaves whole
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup butter divided
- Fine sea salt
- Fine black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Season both sides of pork chops with a healthy sprinkle of fine sea salt and fine black pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter to cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add chops, do not move, allow to sizzle and brown for 2 minutes, turn and report on other side. Both sides should have a nice, browned crust.
- Continue to brown for 1 minute on each side for 8 minutes total. Turning frequently will help them cook evenly all the way through without burning the outside. While doing this, continually butter over the tops to keep them lubricated. If you have a thinner chop, you will not need to cook for the whole 8 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and add sage, garlic, and butter, smashing garlic into butter. Tilt skillet and spoon foaming butter and drippings over pork chops, making sure to baste the fat cap as well as the rib.
- Transfer whole dish to oven for 3-5 minutes. Check internal temperature of pork to make sure it has reached 145 degrees. Allow to rest for an additional 3 minutes (I know, it is hard, they are gorgeous) before serving, making sure each has a healthy topping of crispy sage and garlic.
- Cut away bone and slice pork about 1/4″ thick. Serve with any juices from the cutting board spooned over top.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
This recipe was great! Love a good pork chop and hard to come by! Mine were a little thinner so omitted the oven. Husband said “RQ” and the best pork chop he’s had!! I also used a little less butter. Yum.
Glad you loved it and thanks for coming back to let us know!
Quick, easy, & delicious!!
Thanks for coming back to let us know!
I found this recipe today and made it tonight. I followed the recipe with two exceptions. I only used 4 tablespoons of butter as I found this was plenty. Also, I do not like any pink in my pork chops, so I cooked them just a tad longer.
They turned out fantastic. They will be on my go to list for at home and for a very nice dinner.
Thanks for sharing.
Yay! We love to hear that and thank you for coming back to let us know!
Five stars!!! Fabulous! Made this tonight for my husband and I. He loved it so much he had a 2nd helping and is planning to take the last pork chop (I made 4) for lunch tomorrow! Thank you!
Yay! Love to hear that- thank YOU for taking time to come let me know!
I used 2 inch thick boneless, center cut chops, for 10 minutes in the pan and 5 minutes in the oven and OMG, so juicy and delicious!!
AWESOME! Thanks for coming back to let us know!
Prepared just as written. My wife’s first reaction is make this again!! I used two bone-in 3/4 ” chops. Fried them on the first and second side just 2 1/2 minutes, then flipped them back and forth one time for about 1 1/2 minutes. Threw in the 2nd two T’s of butter, the garlic and the sage, and tossed it around in the pan for two minutes, then into the oven at 400 for 5. the chops were wonderful! Very glad I found this recipe. It on the “Do Again” list.
Yay! That is what we like to hear!!!
Have not tried it yet but am I wrong the sequence above of steps seem to be out of order.
You are correct! Thanks for noticing that, it is fixed.
I added the garlic and sage prior to the oven. It was excellent, sage was crispy and the butter more infused.
The chops look great. The best part thought is the butter and sage. Yum.
Giiirrrllll holy moly that is insane…and by insane I mean amazing! YES to the cast iron! It’s the best!
Thank you, Angie 🙂
This looks fantastic, great flavors!