The great thing about smoked meats—besides the wonderful flavor—is that they come fully cooked, requiring a simple warm-up on the stove, grill, or oven. For our recipe, you'll need fully cooked smoked pork chops, and just a few minutes in a frying pan, under the broiler, or on the grill. These chops are the perfect main course for a busy weeknight, but also a beautiful main for more formal dinners. The key to making perfect smoked pork chops is not to overcook them, as they require a minimum amount of cooking time; if overcooked they dry out, becoming rubbery and tough. Your only indication should be a safe internal temperature of 125 F if your store-bought chops are fully cooked. If your chops aren't fully cooked, check the label—the safe inner temperature should go up to 145 F.
With not much preparation or cooking involved, this is a great recipe for people who've never cooked smoked chops. We provide the instructions for either pan-frying, grilling, and oven roasting the chops. You need less than 15 minutes to present these juicy chops on the table. For easy sides, we recommend braised cabbage, stir fry of vegetables, steamed green beans, baked potatoes, apple chutney, or apple sauce. Although you don't want to mask the delicious smokey flavor of the pork chops, there are ways to add other ingredients without overwhelming the dish: by placing a few slices of grilled pineapple on top or baking them on top of potatoes and onions.
When you have a taste for ham but don't want to mess with a butt or shank portion or even a ham slice, these smoked pork chops are the perfect stand-in. Treat them like ham by serving with sweet potatoes, potato salad, and pineapple chutney.
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or oil
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4 (1/2-inch thick) cooked smoked pork chops
Steps to Make It
Pan-Fried Chops
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Heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
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Add the pork chops and warm 4 to 5 minutes per side or until lightly golden.
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Serve immediately.
Grilled Chops
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Oil the grill grate and heat the grill to medium.
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Place the pork chops 5 to 7 inches from the heat source. Cook 5 minutes per side turning only once. If thicker than 1/2 inch, give the chops 7 minutes per side. When the weather doesn't allow for grilling, use the oven broiler on high, and heat up the chops for 5 to 7 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chop.
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Serve immediately.
Oven-Roasted Chops
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Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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Place an oven-proof skillet on the stovetop on medium heat. Brown one side of the pork chops, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes.
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Flip the chops over and place the skillet in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes.
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Serve immediately.
Glass Bakeware Warning
Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls for adding liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.
Where to Buy and How to Serve Smoked Pork Chops
You can purchase smoked pork chops pre-packaged in the supermarket or from specialty stores online:
- At the grocery store: find Hormel's thick-cut, bone-in smoked pork chops for a very reasonable price.
- Online butcher or smokehouse: find something a bit more specialized, like applewood, oak, or hickory smoked bone-in chops and end cuts. The price is higher than the pre-packaged chops, but you will definitely taste the difference in the end product.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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410 | Calories |
21g | Fat |
14g | Carbs |
41g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 4 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 410 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 21g | 27% |
Saturated Fat 8g | 38% |
Cholesterol 140mg | 47% |
Sodium 7189mg | 313% |
Total Carbohydrate 14g | 5% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 9% |
Total Sugars 7g | |
Protein 41g | |
Vitamin C 3mg | 14% |
Calcium 120mg | 9% |
Iron 5mg | 25% |
Potassium 676mg | 14% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |