Skillet pork chops.

Skillet pork chops are an easy main dish for a meal. I like my slow-oven pork chops, but there are times there is not enough time to do a meal with all the fixings.

Sometimes, I think, we make fixing a meal too complicated. There are so many things a person can cook up in an hour or less. This is one of those recipes. A cast-iron skillet makes meal prep for this recipe easier. It’s a one-dish main dish and you can cook some rice or potatoes while you’re fixing the meat.

Cast iron cooking

When you are working with cast iron, remember that the iron becomes hotter as time goes on. It takes a little longer to get things heated up, so folks tend to put the burner on high and don’t realize it will just keep on getting hotter. Before they know it, the food in the skillet becomes a burnt offering.

If you turn your burner on high, remember to turn it down to medium once it is hot. You don’t need a lot of butter or oil to do this dish, but it’s good to season the skillet with a little bit before you start.

You season this dish however you like it. Pork is higher in sodium, so you don’t need to add as much salt (unless you want to, of course). Add pepper, garlic, or onion seasonings and anything else you’d like. I like to slice onions and fry them with the chops. Not everybody likes onions – or peppers – but you fix them the way your family like it.

The skillet goes right into the oven and can go right from the oven to the table. Remember to put a hot plate under the skillet, of course. I have a silicone handle that fits right over the handle of my skillet. It works great on the stove top but gets hot in the oven. You’ll see the handle in the photo. It’s great for stove-top cooking and can handle oven temperatures, but it will get hot in the oven! I love it for stove-top because the skillet does get hot!

When you are done with the skillet, wipe it clean with a paper towel or dish cloth. Season it with “real” animal fat if you have any. Save your drippings from bacon or ham and wipe it into the inside of the skillet. You can put the skillet back on the burner and turn it on low until the grease is smooth enough to spread completely on the bottom and the sides of the inside skillet.

The recipe

When you choose pork chops, remember that bone-in gives more flavor and provides more moisture from the chops. The length of time you need to bake the pork chops depends on the size and thickness of the chops. You can cover the skillet when you place it in the oven if you are afraid your chops will get too dry. I don’t cover them unless I notice there is not as much moisture in the chops. You can also just finish the chops on the stove top. Turn the burner to low and let it simmer with a lid on top. You do it your way – and enjoy!