Perfectly Tender Sous Vide Pork Chops

If you’ve ever shied away from cooking pork chops, fearing they’d end up dry, tough, or simply underwhelming, then prepare to have your culinary world transformed! Sous vide pork chops are the ultimate answer to achieving incredibly juicy, consistently tender, and flavorful results every single time. This foolproof, slow-cooking method removes all the guesswork, ensuring a succulent interior that’s then perfectly complemented by a quick, high-heat pan-sear for an irresistible golden crust. Get ready to cook what will undoubtedly be the best pork chops you’ve ever tasted in your own home.

Unlock the Secret to Perfect Pork Chops with Sous Vide

For many home cooks, pork chops present a challenge. They can be notoriously tricky to cook just right, often transitioning from undercooked to dry and tough in a matter of moments. This is where the sous vide method shines, turning a common kitchen frustration into a consistent triumph. Sous vide, which means “under vacuum” in French, involves cooking food sealed in a bag in a precisely controlled water bath. This gentle, low-and-slow approach ensures uniform cooking from edge to edge, making it virtually impossible to overcook your meat.

Why This Sous Vide Pork Chop Recipe is a Game-Changer

• Foolproof Consistency, Every Time: The primary benefit of sous vide is its remarkable precision. By maintaining an exact water temperature, your pork chops will cook evenly and reach your desired doneness without any risk of drying out. The sealed environment locks in moisture and natural flavors, resulting in a pork chop that is tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked through, from the center to the edges. Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to reliable perfection.
• Unrivaled Juiciness and Flavor: Unlike traditional cooking methods where juices can escape, cooking pork chops in a vacuum-sealed bag allows them to luxuriate in their own natural moisture and any added seasonings. This process infuses every fiber of the meat with incredible flavor, ensuring a succulent bite with every forkful. Even lean pork cuts, which can easily dry out, remain incredibly moist and flavorful with sous vide.
• The Perfect Golden Crust: While sous vide achieves internal perfection, it doesn’t create that desirable crispy exterior. That’s where the quick pan-sear comes in. After their gentle water bath, a few minutes in a screaming hot skillet with melted butter transforms the exterior of your pork chops into a beautifully caramelized, golden-brown crust. This Maillard reaction not only adds a rich, savory depth of flavor but also provides a delightful textural contrast to the tender interior, elevating the dish to gourmet status.
• Endless Flavor Customization: Pork’s mild, versatile flavor profile makes it an ideal canvas for a wide array of seasonings and marinades. While this recipe uses a simple yet effective salt, pepper, and herb combination, you have complete freedom to experiment. Infuse your pork chops with garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, or even a bold spice rub. The sealed bag ensures that these aromatics deeply penetrate the meat during the slow cooking process, delivering intense flavor with every bite.

Chef’s Expert Tips for Sous Vide Pork Chop Perfection

Mastering sous vide pork chops is surprisingly easy, but a few expert tips can elevate your results from great to truly exceptional.

• Achieving Your Ideal Doneness: The beauty of sous vide lies in its precise temperature control, allowing you to achieve your preferred level of doneness consistently. We recommend setting your sous vide to 140° Fahrenheit for a perfect medium-rare pork chop—tender, incredibly juicy, with a faint blush of pink in the center. If you prefer a different doneness, consult the temperature guide in the recipe notes below. Always use an internal meat thermometer to verify the temperature in the thickest part of the chop before serving, ensuring it reaches at least 145° Fahrenheit for food safety, as recommended by the USDA.
• Choosing and Preparing Your Pork Chops: Bone-in pork chops often offer more flavor and tend to stay juicier, but boneless varieties work beautifully too. The key is consistency in thickness. For this recipe, we’ve used 1 ½-inch thick chops, which cook perfectly in about 1 hour at 140°F. If your pork chops are thicker or thinner, you will need to adjust your sous vide cook time accordingly. For every additional ½-inch in thickness beyond 1 ½ inches, add approximately 15 minutes to the water bath cooking time. Ensure all the pork chops you plan to cook together are of similar size and thickness to guarantee even cooking.
• Mastering the Perfect Sear: The pan-sear is crucial for developing that mouthwatering golden crust. After removing your chops from the sous vide bag, pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels. This step is vital, as moisture on the surface will steam the meat rather than sear it, preventing the Maillard reaction. Use a large skillet, preferably cast iron or stainless steel, heated over medium-high heat until it’s smoking hot. Add butter (or ghee for dairy-free) and a splash of olive oil to prevent the butter from burning, then sear each side for 2-3 minutes until deep golden brown. For an extra touch of flavor, baste the chops with the melted butter and any remaining herbs/garlic during the sear.
• The Water Displacement Method: If you don’t own a vacuum sealer, don’t worry! The water displacement method is an excellent alternative. Place your seasoned pork chops and aromatics into a high-quality, sealable freezer bag (like a Ziploc). Seal the bag almost entirely, leaving about an inch open. Slowly lower the bag into the preheated water bath, allowing the water pressure to force the air out around the food. Once the food is fully submerged and almost all the air is expelled, seal the remaining opening of the bag completely. This creates a sufficient seal for sous vide cooking.
• Resting is Key: After searing, resist the urge to cut into your beautifully cooked pork chops immediately. Allow them to rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring every bite is as juicy and tender as possible.

Serving Suggestions for Your Perfect Pork Chops

These incredibly tender and juicy sous vide pork chops are versatile enough to pair with a wide variety of side dishes. Here are some ideas to complete your meal:

• Classic Comfort: Creamy mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, or a hearty potato gratin.
• Fresh & Green: A simple green salad with a vinaigrette, steamed asparagus, sautéed green beans with garlic, or roasted Brussels sprouts.
• Fruity Accents: Homemade applesauce, caramelized apples, or a pear chutney offer a delightful sweet and savory contrast.
• Grains & Starches: Wild rice pilaf, quinoa salad, or a crusty artisan bread to sop up any delicious pan juices.
• Hearty Vegetables: Roasted root vegetables like carrots and parsnips, or a creamy mushroom risotto.

Other Delicious Pork Recipes to Try

• Pork and Sauerkraut
• Instant Pot Pork Roast with Carrots, Potatoes, and Gravy
• Pork Chop Casserole
• Homemade Pork Chop Seasoning
• Easy Baked Pork Chops and Rice
• Grilled Pork Belly

Recipe By:
Sam Guarnieri

Sous Vide Pork Chops

Prep
15 minutes

Cook
1 hour 15 minutes

Total
1 hour 30 minutes

This foolproof method gives you deliciously juicy and tender pork chops every single time.

Sam Guarnieri

4 pork chops

Equipment

• Large pot or other large, heat-resistant container
• Sous vide immersion circulator
• Cutting board
• Large food-safe vacuum sealing bags or large sealable food-safe storage bag
• Vacuum sealer optional, see Notes for alternative (water displacement method)
• Large skillet
• Tongs
• Meat thermometer optional

Ingredients

• 4 medium bone-in pork chops each approximately 1 ½ inches thick
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2-4 sprigs fresh herbs of choice thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.
• 1 clove garlic peeled, smashed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter or ghee for Whole30/Paleo, plant-based butter for dairy-free

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot or other large, heat-resistant container with water. Insert your sous vide immersion circulator and set it to 140° Fahrenheit. Ensure the pot is deep enough for the water level to fall between the minimum and maximum indicators on the circulator.
2. Lay the pork chops out on a cutting board. Generously season each pork chop with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Transfer the seasoned pork chops to a food-safe vacuum sealing bag (or a large sealable food-safe storage bag) and add the fresh herbs, smashed garlic, and olive oil to the bag.
   
3. After adding all ingredients, close the bag and remove as much air as possible using a vacuum sealer. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, use the water displacement method (detailed in the Notes section below) to remove air and create a tight seal.
4. Once the water bath has preheated to 140° Fahrenheit, carefully place the sealed bag containing the pork chops into the pot. Ensure the pork chops are entirely submerged in the water for proper cooking. If needed, you can weigh the bag down with heavy-duty clips or silverware attached to the bottom of the bag.
5. Cook the pork chops in the water bath for 1 hour for 1 ½-inch thick chops. Refer to the Notes section for adjusting cook times based on thickness.
6. Towards the end of the 1-hour sous vide cook time, warm a large skillet (preferably cast iron) on your stove over medium-high heat. Once the pan is sufficiently warm and almost smoking, add the butter (or preferred fat). Let the butter melt completely, swirling the pan periodically to evenly coat the bottom of the skillet.
7. Carefully remove the bag of pork chops from the water bath. Open the bag and immediately transfer the cooked pork chops directly into the hot skillet of melted butter. Sear the pork chops for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they develop a beautiful, deep golden-brown crust.
   
8. Once seared to perfection, transfer the pan-seared pork chops to serving plates. Allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve immediately with your desired sides and enjoy!

Recipe Notes & Tips:

• For an even crispier crust, ensure you pat the pork chops very dry with paper towels after removing them from the sous vide bag and before placing them in the hot skillet. Any residual moisture will hinder the browning process.
• Adjusting for Thickness: If your pork chops are thicker than 1 ½ inches, add an extra 15 minutes to the sous vide cook time for every additional ½ inch of thickness. For thinner chops, you can reduce the time slightly, but 1 hour is generally safe for anything around 1 inch.
• Water Displacement Method: If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, place your ingredients in an appropriately-sized sealable food-safe bag (e.g., a sturdy freezer bag). Seal the bag halfway across the top, leaving a small opening. Heat the water with your sous vide immersion circulator as instructed. Slowly lower the partially sealed bag into the heated water. The pressure from the water will force the air out of the bag, making the plastic cling tightly to the food. Once the food is entirely submerged and most of the air is out, completely seal the bag and continue with the cooking.
• Make it Whole30/Paleo: Simply substitute clarified butter (ghee) for regular butter in the searing step.
• Make it Dairy Free: Use a plant-based butter or a high-smoke point oil like avocado oil for searing.

Sous Vide Temperatures and Doneness Results:

• For medium-rare pork chops, set the sous vide to 140° Fahrenheit (60°C). This yields pork chops that are incredibly tender, juicy, and have a beautiful, slight pink hue in the center, without being chewy or slippery.
• For medium pork chops, set the sous vide to 145° Fahrenheit (63°C). You’ll get very tender and juicy pork chops, with just a hint of pink.
• For medium-well pork chops, set the sous vide to 150° Fahrenheit (66°C). These pork chops will be slightly less tender and juicy than medium-rare, but still moist and not dry or tough. The interior will be mostly white with very little to no pink.
• For well-done pork chops, set the sous vide to 160° Fahrenheit (71°C). While sous vide ensures even well-done pork chops retain more moisture than traditional methods, they will naturally be firmer and less juicy than lower temperatures.

Approximate Nutrition Information for One Serving

Serving Size:
1
pork chop


Calories:
372
cal


Protein:
35
g


Fat:
25
g


Saturated Fat:
9
g


Trans Fat:
0.4
g


Cholesterol:
132
mg


Sodium:
139
mg


Potassium:
589
mg


Total Carbs:
0.3
g


Fiber:
0.1
g


Sugar:
0.01
g


Net Carbs:
0
g


Vitamin A:
188
IU


Vitamin C:
0.3
mg


Calcium:
37
mg


Iron:
1
mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.