Do you want an easy pork chop recipe without a grill? Make these Balsamic-BBQ Pork Chops in your oven for the summery taste of barbecued pork chops anytime!
Balsamic-BBQ Pork Chops
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Pork chops on the grill are certainly easy. And although I will go outside in the rain (or snow) to cook on my grill, I don’t always want to. And sometimes I can’t keep Little Doc, the busy toddler that he is, safely away from the hot grill while I’m cooking. So it’s important to have a few recipes for oven-baked pork chops ready to go. This is one of them!
The sauce for these pork chops is so simple. Just toss all the ingredients together in a large saucepan (see recipe below). Turn the heat on to medium, and stir it up. You just want all the ingredients to get combined (it takes a bit of stirring to get the ketchup and brown sugar mixed in). The sauce will thicken up while it is in the oven.
I used beer in my sauce. Feel free to do the same! (And gosh, I just hate it when the recipe doesn’t quite need a whole bottle… then I have to drink the rest. Darn.) If you don’t have beer handy, or you don’t want to use beer, just substitute chicken broth or water instead. But you won’t get quite the same flavor. (This would be a great place to use some frozen chicken broth, if you have some handy.)
Once the sauce is hot and bubbly (it just takes a few minutes), pour a layer of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. You don’t need a lot, just something for the pork chops to sit on. Then arrange four center cut, bone-in pork chops in the dish, on top of the sauce layer. This is where I put in my meat thermometer.
I use a probe thermometer like this one, so I can monitor the temperature of the meat as it cooks. This helps me make sure that the meat is fully cooked, without getting overcooked and dry. If you’re nervous about overcooking pork chops, this is a great recipe to try. The sauce will help keep the chops juicy, even if they get cooked a little too long.
Once your meat thermometer is in, pour the rest of the sauce over the pork chops. Put them in a 350 degree oven until they reach 145 degrees F. (It should take 40-50 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pork chops.)
Let the pork chops rest in the sauce for 3-5 minutes after you take them out of the oven. Then get ready to enjoy some simply amazing saucy chops! Make up a batch of mashed potatoes and use the extra sauce like gravy… You won’t be sorry!
Wondering if you could use steaks instead of pork chops? Check out this post to see how chops and steaks are similar, and how they are different.
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for Balsamic-BBQ Pork Chops
Balsamic-BBQ Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 center cut bone-in pork chops
- 1 cup beer can substitute chicken broth or water
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except pork chops. Heat on medium, stirring frequently, until the sauce is smooth, hot, and bubbly (about 3-5 minutes).
- Pour a layer of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange pork chops in baking dish. Place a probe thermometer in the thickest pork chop.
- Pour the rest of the sauce over the chops.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees until pork chops reach 145 degrees F (40-50 minutes).
You could not have possibly made this dish any easier! WINNER in my book. 🙂
There isn’t any balsamic in this recipe!
How embarrassing! I’ll fix it as soon as I can!