How Long to Cook Pork Chops: Pan, Oven, Air Fryer and Grill Times
How long to cook pork chops in a pan, oven, air fryer, grill or slow cooker: the heat and minutes from 14 Savour recipes, all to 71°C (160°F).
By Ben Kowalski
Published · Updated · 10 min read
Quick answer
How long to cook pork chops depends on the method and the thickness. Savour's recipes bake 2.5 cm (1 inch) chops at 200°C (400°F) for 15 to 20 minutes boneless or 20 to 25 bone-in, air fry them at 200°C (400°F) for 10 to 14 minutes boneless or 12 to 16 bone-in, and pan-fry 2 cm boneless chops for 4 to 5 minutes, 3 minutes after flipping, then 1 to 2 minutes of basting. All 14 take the pork to 71°C (160°F).
- Recipes featured
- 14
- Quickest
- Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Garlic Butter (22 mins)
- Average total time
- 59 mins
- Average calories
- 443 per serving
- Reading time
- 10 min
- Section
- Cooking guides
How long to cook pork chops depends on the method and the thickness of the chop. In Savour's pan-fried recipe, 2 cm (3/4 inch) boneless chops take 4 to 5 minutes on the first side in a hot skillet, 3 minutes on the second and 1 to 2 minutes of basting, while in the baked recipe 2.5 cm (1 inch) chops bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 to 20 minutes boneless or 20 to 25 minutes bone-in. Every one of the 14 recipes takes the pork to 71°C (160°F) in the thickest part.
Below, we compare the times written in those 14 recipes, from 2 to 3 minutes a side for a pounded schnitzel to 4 to 6 hours on LOW in a slow cooker. The pork chop recipes page lists every pork chop dish; this guide is about the heat and the minutes.
How long to cook pork chops, by method
Times come from each recipe's steps and chop sizes from its ingredient list; the stored total includes prep, resting and, for the grilled chops, 30 minutes of marinating.
Ten of the 14 recipes call for chops 2 to 2.5 cm (3/4 to 1 inch) thick. The thinner exceptions are the parmesan-crusted chops at 1.5 cm and the two cutlet recipes, which pound loin chops flat; the stuffed chops are the thickest, at 3 to 4 cm, with a pocket cut into the side.
What internal temperature should pork chops reach?
All 14 recipes cook the chops to 71°C (160°F) on an instant-read thermometer. Government food safety guidance lists the same 71°C (160°F) for pork chops, bone-in or boneless, and says to push the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, to the middle and not touching the bone, and to check each chop separately. The stuffed chops have a second target: 74°C (165°F) in the centre of the stuffing.
Without a thermometer, government food safety guidance gives visual cues instead, since pork can carry bacteria all the way through the meat: cut into the thickest part with a clean knife, and the juices should run clear, with no pink, and the meat should be steaming hot throughout.
How long to pan fry pork chops
The pan-fried pork chops with garlic butter are the plainest version, with 2 cm (3/4 inch) boneless chops:
- Pat the chops dry, cut small slits through the fat on the edge so they do not curl, and season.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, leaving space between the chops or cooking in two batches.
- Cook without moving them for 4 to 5 minutes, until deep golden underneath and easy to release.
- Flip, cook for 3 minutes and turn the heat down to medium.
- Add butter, garlic and thyme and spoon the foaming butter over the chops for 1 to 2 minutes, until the thickest part reads 71°C (160°F).
- Rest for 5 minutes.
Chops finished in a sauce
Three skillet recipes let a sauce finish the cooking. The honey garlic chops sear for 4 minutes, flip, cook the garlic in butter for 30 to 60 seconds, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes in the glaze. The creamy Dijon chops and the chops with apples and onions sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side and leave the pan, not yet cooked through, while the sauce cooks. They go back for 2 to 4 minutes in the mustard cream, or 3 to 5 minutes among the apples, until 71°C (160°F).
Breaded chops and thin cutlets
The parmesan-crusted chops fry 1.5 cm chops in oil about 3 mm deep, at about 175°C (350°F), for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Its tip handles 2.5 cm (1 inch) chops differently: 2 to 3 minutes per side for colour, then 8 to 10 minutes on a rack in a 200°C (400°F) oven.
The pork schnitzel pounds the meat to 4 to 5 mm and fries it in oil 1 cm deep at 170 to 175°C (340 to 350°F) for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The katsudon pounds chops to 1 cm and fries them at 170°C (340°F) for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Its tip warns that hot oil causes serious burns: use a thermometer and keep the skillet no more than half full.
How long to bake pork chops at 200°C (400°F)?
All three oven recipes use 200°C (400°F). The juicy baked pork chops go on a wire rack over a foil-lined sheet, which the recipe says lets hot air reach the underside so both sides brown. The 2.5 cm (1 inch) chops are patted very dry, rubbed with oil and spices, and baked for 15 to 20 minutes boneless or 20 to 25 minutes bone-in; chops 1 to 1.5 cm thick need only 8 to 12 minutes. They come out as soon as the thickest part reads 71°C (160°F), and any that are under go back in, checked every 2 to 3 minutes. They rest for 5 minutes under loose foil.
The BBQ pork chops bake for 10 minutes, get brushed with sauce and bake for 5 more. If they are under 71°C (160°F), they get up to 5 more minutes, then 1 to 2 minutes under the broiler. Its tip gives bone-in chops 20 to 25 minutes in total, sauced for the last 10 minutes. The stuffed pork chops sear for 3 minutes per side, then bake in the same oven-safe skillet for 18 to 25 minutes. For chicken, the guide to how long to bake chicken by cut compares the oven times the same way.
How long to air fry pork chops
The air fryer pork chops preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F) for 3 to 5 minutes, then cook 2.5 cm (1 inch) chops in a single layer for 10 to 14 minutes boneless or 12 to 16 minutes bone-in, turned halfway. They are done at 71°C (160°F) in the thickest part, away from any bone; if not, the step adds 2 minutes and checks again.
The recipe's tips allow for different machines: air fryers vary a lot by size and model, so check the temperature at 8 minutes the first time, and chops 1 to 1.5 cm thick cook in 7 to 9 minutes. The air fryer cooking times and temperatures guide gives the settings for 18 other air fryer recipes, and the air fryer recipes page lists every dish.
How long to grill pork chops
The grilled pork chops marinate 2.5 cm (1 inch) bone-in chops in the fridge for 30 minutes to 4 hours. One side of the grill goes to medium-high, about 220 to 230°C (425 to 450°F), the other to low or off. The chops sear over the hot side, lid closed, for 3 to 4 minutes per side, then move to the cooler side for 4 to 8 minutes more, until 71°C (160°F) away from the bone, and rest for 5 minutes.
Its variation grills 2 cm (3/4 inch) boneless chops over direct heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side; they rarely need the indirect side. With no outdoor grill, its tip uses a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side, then finishes thick chops in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 5 minutes.
How long to braise or slow cook pork chops?
The smothered pork chops brown 2 cm bone-in chops for 3 minutes per side, then simmer them in onion gravy, covered on low, for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender and at least 71°C (160°F). Its variation gives bone-in shoulder (blade) chops 35 to 45 minutes, until fork-tender.
The slow cooker pork chops cook 2.5 cm bone-in chops on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or HIGH for 2.5 to 3 hours. Loin chops are checked at the shorter time and shoulder chops are best at the longer end; thick boneless loin chops are checked after 3 1/2 hours on LOW. How the two settings compare across other recipes is in slow cooker low vs high, and the slow cooker recipes page lists more.
Does thickness or the bone change the cooking time?
Both do. These are the bone-in times the recipes give in their steps, variations or tips; the boneless times are in the first table.
In the four skillet recipes the bone-in chop is also thicker than the 2 cm boneless one, so the longer times cover the extra thickness as well as the bone. Thin chops go faster: 8 to 12 minutes in the oven and 7 to 9 in the air fryer at 1 to 1.5 cm. The baked recipe's tip is to buy chops at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick for the oven, since thin ones overcook before the outside browns. The schnitzel's tip adds that an even thickness matters more than a thin one.
Why rest pork chops after cooking?
Twelve of the 14 recipes rest the chops for 5 minutes; the baked recipe says the rest lets the juices settle back into the meat. Four of them rest under loose foil (air fryer, baked, grilled and slow cooker), and the creamy Dijon and smothered chops rest in their sauce off the heat. The schnitzel is served straight away, and the katsudon cutlets go into the sauce.
The baked recipe's tip also says to start checking the temperature 5 minutes before the shortest time, since ovens and chops vary.
Common mistakes with pork chops
Each fix comes from a recipe's tips:
- Wet chops. "Dry chops brown; wet chops steam" (pan-fried). Pat them well.
- A crowded pan. Chops that touch cool the pan and turn grey instead of golden. Cook in batches.
- Butter or honey too soon. Butter added at the start burns before the pork is cooked, and honey burns over high heat. Add both after the flip, at medium.
- A hard boil. It makes the smothered chops tough and can make the creamy Dijon sauce greasy. Keep a gentle simmer.
- Oil at the wrong heat. Too cool and the schnitzel crust soaks up oil; too hot and the crumbs burn before the pork is cooked.
- A long lemon marinade. After 4 hours, the lemon starts to make the grilled chops' surface mushy.
- Lifting the slow cooker lid. Heat escapes and the cooking time stretches.
- Reusing the raw plate or brushing sauce. Use a clean plate for grilled chops, and discard leftover BBQ brushing sauce.
Storing and reheating pork chops
Twelve of the 14 reheating notes heat the chops until hot to 74°C (165°F), measured in the stuffing for the stuffed chops. The parmesan-crusted and schnitzel notes say the microwave makes the crust soggy.
Sources
- Safe internal cooking temperatures canada.ca
- Cooking your food gov.uk
Recipes in this post (14)
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature should pork chops be cooked to?
All 14 Savour pork chop recipes in this guide cook the chops to 71°C (160°F), read with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part and away from any bone. Government food safety guidance lists the same 71°C (160°F) for bone-in and boneless pork chops.
How long do you bake pork chops at 200°C (400°F)?
Savour's Juicy Baked Pork Chops bake 2.5 cm (1 inch) chops on a rack at 200°C (400°F) for 15 to 20 minutes boneless or 20 to 25 minutes bone-in, until 71°C (160°F) inside. Thinner chops, 1 to 1.5 cm thick, need only 8 to 12 minutes.
How many minutes per side do you pan fry pork chops?
Savour's Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Garlic Butter sear 2 cm (3/4 inch) boneless chops for 4 to 5 minutes, flip and cook them for 3 minutes, then baste them in butter for 1 to 2 minutes until 71°C (160°F). For 2.5 cm (1 inch) bone-in chops the recipe gives 5 to 6 minutes per side.
How long do pork chops take in the air fryer?
Savour's Air Fryer Pork Chops cook at 200°C (400°F) in a preheated air fryer for 10 to 14 minutes for 2.5 cm (1 inch) boneless chops or 12 to 16 minutes bone-in, turned halfway. Air fryers vary, so the recipe says to check the temperature at 8 minutes the first time.
Do bone-in pork chops take longer to cook than boneless?
Yes, in Savour's recipes. The baked chops take 20 to 25 minutes bone-in against 15 to 20 boneless, and the air fryer chops 12 to 16 minutes against 10 to 14. Both cook to the same 71°C (160°F), measured away from the bone.
How long do pork chops take in a slow cooker?
Savour's Slow Cooker Pork Chops cook 2.5 cm (1 inch) bone-in chops on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 2.5 to 3 hours, until tender and at least 71°C (160°F). Loin chops are checked at the shorter time; shoulder chops are best at the longer end.
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