Juicy and tender sous vide pork chops precision-cooked to perfection, complemented by a rich mustard cream sauce. Never overcook your pork chops again with this simple recipe!
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
Perfect Every Time: With this sous vide pork chop recipe, you can replicate juicy, flavorful pork chops consistently. Never cook a dry pork chop again!
Flavorful Infusion: This sous vide method of cooking allows the meat to marinate in its own juices along with some flavorful aromatics, enhancing its natural flavors.
Tender and Juicy: Sous vide cooking transforms pork chops into a luxurious, melt-in-your-mouth experience. The precision cooking method ensures perfect cooking, tenderness, and juiciness in every bite.
Ingredient Notes:
- Pork Chops: This recipe uses thick-cut bone-in pork chops. You can use bone-in chops or boneless pork chops. If you're using thinner chops, you can cut down on the cook time.
- Rosemary: Rosemary adds a subtle earthiness and additional flavor to the pork chops and mustard sauce. You can substitute other fresh herbs like thyme and sage.
- Mustard Cream Sauce: The mustard cream sauce is a tasty addition to perfectly cooked pork chops. But you can make your favorite pan sauce or omit the sauce altogether.
Equipment Notes:
- Sous Vide Machine: A sous vide machine, or immersion circulator, takes the guesswork out of cooking pork chops by keeping them at a precise temperature during the whole cooking process. For best results, use a sous vide machine. But sous vide cooking can be done without one. Check out this resource on sous vide cooking without a machine.
- Vacuum Sealer: While using the sous vide method without a vacuum sealer requires a bit more effort, you can still accomplish it. The water displacement method uses water to remove the air from a resealable plastic bag instead of using a vacuum bag.
- Cast Iron Pan: A cast iron pan is the best type of pan for getting a quick sear after sous vide cooking. But, you can use whatever type of pan or skillet you have available.
What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide translates to "under vacuum" in French. Sous vide is a method of cooking that involves the process of vacuum-sealing food and immersing it in a precisely controlled warm water bath. Typically, you season the meat or fish and cook it in its own juices for varying amounts of time depending on the type of meat or fish used.
One of the main benefits of sous vide cooking is keeping the water at a precise temperature and keeping the internal temperature of the meat or fish at the same temperature as the water.
So, the water bath prevents the meat from ever getting overcooked. However, meat can become mushy or grainy if you leave it in the water bath for too long, so it's important to adjust the cooking time depending on the type and cut of meat used.
Types of Pork Chops:
Is a pork chop just a pork chop? Nope! There are many different cuts of pork chops out there. All pork chops come from the loins of pigs (the long muscle that runs along either side of the backbone). But, the muscle changes depending on where the chop comes from. They can also be cut differently. The good news is, they can all be sous vide!
- Bone-In vs. Boneless: Butchers can cut pork chops with or without the bone. Bone-in chops typically take longer to cook but the bone adds some flavor to the chop.
- Thin vs. Thick-Cut: Thin-cut pork chops are often taken from the cheaper cuts and cook faster than thicker cuts. Thicker cuts are usually reserved for rib chops or loin chops. Thick-cut pork chops benefit from sous vide cooking to make sure the center gets done without overcooking the outside of the chop.
- Rib Chop: Rib chops are the classic pork chops we all know and love (pictured below). Cut from the rib section, these chops are known for their tenderness.
They often include a bone and sometimes go by the names ribeye chops or center-cut rib chops. - Loin Chop: Butchers cut loin chops from the backend of the loin, near the hips. They often include part of the tenderloin and the bone is in a T shape.
- Sirloin Chop: Butchers cut sirloin chops from the sirloin area, near the end of the loin. These chops are leaner and less tender compared to rib and loin chops. They benefit from marination or brining to enhance flavor and tenderness.
- Blade Chop: Cut from the shoulder area, blade chops contain more connective tissue and may require slower cooking methods to tenderize.
Step by Step Instructions:
How To Sous Vide Pork Chops:
Every great sous vide recipe starts with a piece of meat and a few aromatics and/or spices. The added ingredients impart a lovely flavor while they cook alongside the meat. Read below for how to sous vide pork chops!
Step 1: Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season pork chops all over with salt and black pepper.
Step 2: Place the seasoned pork chops into individual vacuum bags. Add 1 garlic clove, 1 sprig of rosemary, and 1 tablespoon of butter to each sous vide bag.
Step 3: Seal the bags with a vacuum sealer. Refrigerate the bags for 2-3 hours before cooking. This allows the salt to tenderize the meat.
Step 4: Fill a large pot or other large container with water. Heat the sous vide machine to 140°F.
Step 5: Place the sous vide bags with pork chops in the hot water bath and cook for 2-3 hours.
Step 6: Remove the bags from the water bath. Remove the pork chops from the bags and pat them dry with paper towels.
Step 7: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of lard or other cooking fat to the pan and let it melt.
Step 8: Place the pork chops in the hot skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes per side or until the outside has been browned.
Step 9: Make sure you sear the sides too!
Step 10: Remove to a plate or cutting board to rest while you prepare the mustard cream sauce.
Pro Tip: A quick sear in a super hot cast iron pan is key to giving sous vide meats a finished look and a caramelized crust for extra flavor.
How to Make Mustard Cream Sauce:
This mustard cream sauce is a velvety and flavorful addition to sous vide pork chops. The sharpness of the mustard is perfectly balanced by the cream. Read below for how to make it!
Step 1: Reduce the heat to medium. If the pan has enough fat left to cook the shallots, you do not need to use butter. If your pan is dry, add 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to coat the pan.
Step 2: Add shallots and rosemary to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the shallots are softened and the rosemary is fragrant.
Step 3: Add the white wine to the pan and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 2-4 minutes, or until the wine is mostly evaporated.
Step 4: Reduce the heat to low. Add the cream and mustards to the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a low simmer and simmer until thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt and black pepper as needed.
Pro Tip: Don't let the cream sauce simmer for too long. With the acid from the mustards, the sauce can break with excessive simmering.
More Sous Vide Recipes to Try:
Sous vide cooking is great for many types of meat and fish. Here are a few of my favorite sous vide recipes:
- Sous Vide Halibut
- Sous Vide Duck Confit
- Sous Vide Elk Tenderloin
- Sous Vide Venison Eye of Round
- Sous Vide Pheasant
What to Serve with Pork Chops:
Pork chops go well with a variety of side dishes. You can pair them with potato dishes like mashed potatoes, grilled potatoes, duck fat smashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or roasted sweet potatoes.
They also go well with light salads like fennel orange salad or a simple green salad with homemade dressing or even some homemade sauerkraut! No matter how you choose to serve them, you're going to love how tender and juicy these sous vide pork chops are!
Recipe FAQ's:
Pork chops can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to sous vide, depending on the thickness and type of pork chop. If you let them go much longer, they can become mushy and grainy.
Yes! Pork chops that have been sous vide too long can become mushy and grainy. Don't sous vide them longer than 3 hours.
Pork chops do not have to be brined before sous vide cooking, but it does help tenderize them and keep them juicy and flavorful.
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to me and fellow readers. And if you want more delicious wild game recipes, subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Recipe:
Sous Vide Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Pork Chops:
- 2 thick cut pork chops (~1.25" thick and 14-16 oz each)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat)
Mustard Cream Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon salted butter (only needed if no fat is left in the pan after cooking)
- ⅓ cup shallots, finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Pork Chops:
- Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and black pepper.
- Place the seasoned pork chops into individual vacuum bags. Add 1 garlic clove, 1 sprig of rosemary, and 1 tablespoon of butter to each bag.
- Seal the bags with a vacuum sealer. Refrigerate the bags for 2-3 hours before cooking. This allows the salt to tenderize the meat.
- Fill a large pot or other large container with water. Heat the sous vide machine to 140°F. Place the bags with pork chops in the heated water bath and cook for 2-3 hours.
- Remove the bags from the water bath. Remove the pork chops from the bags and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of lard or other cooking fat to the pan and let it melt.
- Place the pork chops in the hot skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes per side or until the outside has been browned. Make sure you sear the sides too! Remove to a plate or cutting board to rest while you prepare the mustard cream sauce.
Mustard Cream Sauce:
- Reduce the heat to medium. If the pan has enough fat left to cook the shallots, you do not need to use butter. If your pan is dry, add 2 tablespoon of butter and swirl to coat the pan.
- Add shallots and rosemary to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the shallots are softened and the rosemary is fragrant.
- Add the white wine to the pan and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 2-4 minutes, or until the wine is mostly evaporated.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cream and mustards to the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a low simmer and simmer until thickened, about 2-4 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and add salt and black pepper as needed.
- Slice pork chops into ½" slices. Drizzle with mustard cream sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe uses thick-cut bone-in pork chops. You can use bone-in chops or boneless pork chops. If you're using thinner chops, you can cut down on the cook time.
- Rosemary adds a subtle earthiness and additional flavor to the pork chops and mustard sauce. You can substitute other fresh herbs like thyme and sage.
- The mustard cream sauce is a tasty addition to perfectly cooked pork chops. But you can make your favorite pan sauce or omit the sauce altogether.
- A sous vide machine, or immersion circulator, takes the guesswork out of cooking pork chops by keeping them at a precise temperature during the whole cooking process. For best results, a sous vide machine should be used. But sous vide cooking can be done without one. Check out this resource on sous vide cooking without a machine.
- While it takes a little more work to use the sous vide method without a vacuum sealer, it can be done. The water displacement method uses water to remove the air from a resealable plastic bag instead of using a vacuum bag.
- A cast iron pan is the best type of pan for getting a quick sear after sous vide cooking. But, you can use whatever type of pan or skillet you have available.
- Don't let the cream sauce simmer for too long. With the acid from the mustards, the sauce can break with excessive simmering.
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