1tablespoonvegetable oil(or other neutral cooking oil)
1tablespoonunsalted butter(at room temperature)
2thyme or rosemary sprigs
2clovesgarlic(very thinly sliced)
Instructions
Brine the pork chops, if desired. Brine or no brine, pat them completely dry. Season them with a bit of salt (more salt if you skipped the brining step) and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the oil, then add the pork chops and cook for about 2 minutes. Flip the pork chops with tongs, and continue cooking the pork chops for a total of about 8 to 10 minutes, flipping them every 2 minutes or so, until the pork chops are almost cooked through. The internal temperature should read 130 F on a meat thermometer at this point, and they will be a little bit pink in the center.
Add the butter to the pan. Place the herb sprigs and garlic next to the chops in the pan. Use a spoon to spoon the melted butter over the chops, flipping the chops a couple of times, and basting away. Remove the pan from the stove, and transfer the pork chops to a cutting board. Let them rest for 5 minutes; the internal temperature should be at 145 F.
Slice the pork chops and drizzle the pan sauce over the sliced pork.
Notes
Don’t let the heat get too high or too low — pork chops will toughen if cooked too quickly or too long.
Keep flipping them every couple of minutes to prevent the exterior from getting tough.
Make sure your pork chops are at least 1 inch thick; if they are thinner, reduce the cooking time proportionately. If they are thicker, add a bit of cooking time accordingly.