This recipe for the Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops is so juicy, tender and delicious, it’s sure to quickly become a favorite air fryer recipe. With a few simple ingredients, and only 12 minutes cook time, these air fryer pork chops are perfect for a tasty dinner any day of the week.
Let me start my saying how much i’m loving my air fryer. I’ve owned a lot of kitchen gadgets over the years and my two favorites are my air fryer and my Instant Pot. And honestly, not far behind is my George Foreman Grill – but that’s a discussion for another day. The thing about an air fryer, is that, well, you’re not really frying in the traditional sense. It’s honestly more like a rapid cook oven/broiler. And there’s plenty of times I don’t want to heat up the house by turning on the regular oven. Besides, for this pork chop recipe I get the best results in the air fryer anyways!
What are the best pork chops for the air fryer?
I’ve found that the very best pork chops for the air fryer are thick, center cut, bone-in chops. I try to get them as thick as possible – somewhere between 1 ½ inches to 2 inches thick. The reason I like the thick chops the best is that with the cooking time required, it’s gives the pork chops a beautiful char on all sides. Thin pork chops will cook too quickly and never get that nice char on them. Thick pork chops require a cooking time of about 12 minutes. And with our rub from this recipe, we get that beautiful char on them that’s delicious!
Make a rub for air fryer pork chops
For this recipe for air fryer pork chops, we will not be breading the pork chops. Rather, we will be making a rub seasoning mix which we are going to very liberally apply to the meat. The rub is very simple too. We’ll use brown sugar, paprika, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. We mix it together and rub it all in to pork chops that have been rinsed, dried, and coated with a little olive oil. Rinsing the pork chops and patting them dry with a paper towel is important so don’t skip that step.
Cooking
Preheating your air fryer is an important step! You’ll want to preheat at 400°F for 5 minutes. Then, when it’s ready, cook the pork chops in the air fryer for 12 minutes, flipping them over after 6 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant-read food thermometer. We’re aiming for an internal temp of 140°F. If your pork chops are very thick, they may require an additional few minutes.
When the pork chops are done, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a plate and let them rest for a couple of minutes. Then you’re ready to serve and enjoy! There will be a nice juice that will form from the seasonings and the natural juices of the pork. Slice the pork chops in thin slices, and get some of the seasoned juice on each bite. You’re gonna love it!
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PrintRecipe
Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2
Description
Juicy, tender and delicious air fryer pork chops.
Ingredients
- 2 center-cut, bone-in pork chops, 1 ½ – 2 inches thick
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Rinse pork chops with cool water and pat dry completely with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
- Coat the pork chops with olive oil and rub in the mix. Rub it in well and liberally. Use almost all of the rub mix for the 2 pork chops.
- Cook pork chops in air fryer on the air fry setting at 400°F for 12-14 minutes or until internal temperature of 140°F. Flip pork chops over after 6 minutes.
Notes
Air fryer temperatures can vary. Remove pork chops when internal temperature reaches 140°F. The carryover cooking will bring the temp up to 145°F.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Pork chops
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: American
ROSETTA JOHNSON says
These were delicious! I subbed half of the regular paprika with smoked paprika and perfection! I will definitely be keeping this in the rotation!
Brenda A says
I did too! FABULOUS!
Sue says
My husband does not like anything spicy. Will the paprika make the recipe spicy? I am inclined to leave it off and lower the pepper. Any guidance? Should I substitute something else? I have a feeling that it will still be good without spiciness.
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Sue. Regular paprika has very little, if any heat at all. It’s used more for color and it’s mild flavor. You can certainly cut down on the pepper if you’d like and simply season to taste.
Mel says
I made 4 – 1.5″ thick cut bone-in pork chops….I doubled the rub mix and used it on all 4.
After my 12 minutes were up I checked them with my thermometer and they were at about 128 F…I did 5 more minutes and they were perfect.
Tender, juicy and the little bit of fat that was on it tasted just like a sweet bacon!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks, Mel!
Priscilla says
This title is not a lie, they really are the best! So quick and easy and so amazing how juicy they become from only using a dry rub!! Actually I think clean up took longer than the chops but was fine after an overnight soapy soak. Will make again and again but would also add a dash of cayenne as another commented. Thanks for an awesome and easy recipe!!
RecipeTeacher says
And I thank YOU for the feedback, Priscilla! I’ve gotten in the habit of soaking my air fryer basket right after I use it. Usually just a few minutes and it cleans up nicely.
Cindi says
My new go to recipe for pork chops!! They came out so juicy and full of flavor.
Keely says
Amazing!!! This was so delicious and I can’t wait to make again. Thank you!
Samela Sunshine says
I just got an air fryer as I visited a friend that had one. She made breakfast, lunch AND dinner in it! I was impressed. Tried these pork chops. SO tasty. This recipe is a keeper!
Darryl Brooks says
I’m doing so much more cooking after my wife’s passing and I’ve become a creature of convenience, so the air fryer is my salvation. I made this recipe tonight for my son and myself. He’s something of a foodie and a very good cook himself, and he was really impressed. I adjusted some quantities of the rub based on number of chops. They were juicy and the taste unbelievable. This recipe is a keeper. Just for info, I made these using the Emeril Lagasse air fryer.
RecipeTeacher says
Darryl i’m so very sorry for your loss. I’m glad that you’ve found some solace in taking up cooking as you have and honored to have one of my recipes spoken of so highly by yourself and your son.
You know, i’ve heard nothing but good things about the Emeril air fryer. I may have to give one a test run myself.
Thanks so much for the feedback and many more great recipes to come!
HOLLY E VANCAMP says
I am not a good cook, I have never made a good pork chop till now. I followed the recipe exactly! My husband loved it. I hope to never make a dry pork chop again.
Tammy Schick says
I was helping my mom try out her new Ninja Foodi and we used this recipe for it’s maiden voyage. I made a triple batch, 3 in her Foodi and 3 in my Cuisinart toaster oven air fryer. Both made the most delicious pork chops! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!