Sous Vide Smoky Brown Sugar Pork Chops

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thick-cut pork chops go into a 140°F water bath with a sweet-smoky barbecue rub, then get 90 seconds a side in a screaming cast-iron skillet with butter. The result is edge-to-edge juicy pink pork with a dark, sticky crust — and the bath does all the timing for you, so dinner waits on you instead of the other way round.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops, 1 1/2 inches thick (about 12 oz each)
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot or container with water, clip in your immersion circulator, and set it to 140°F (60°C). Let it come up to temperature while you season the pork.
2. Stir the brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne together in a small bowl. Pat the chops dry and rub the mixture over all sides, pressing it in. Slide the chops into zip-top freezer bags in a single layer (two chops per gallon bag is fine, not overlapping).
3. Lower the bags into the water, letting the water press the air out as you go, then seal the last inch just above the water line and clip the tops to the side of the pot. Cook at 140°F for 2 hours (anywhere from 1 1/2 to 4 hours is fine — the pork will not overcook).
4. Lift the bags out and open them over a bowl, saving the juices. Move the chops to a rack or plate and pat them very dry on both sides with paper towels — this is what lets them brown instead of steam.
5. Set a cast-iron skillet over high heat with the vegetable oil until it just begins to smoke, about 3 minutes. Sear the chops 60 to 90 seconds per side until deeply browned, then add the butter and, using tongs, hold each chop fat-edge down for 20 seconds while spooning foaming butter over the top. Watch closely — the sugar in the rub browns fast.
6. Move the chops to a board to rest 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir the cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the saved bag juices into the buttery skillet, scraping up the browned bits, and spoon this pan glaze over the chops to serve.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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