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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Best Damn Air Fryer Coffee Crusted Pork Chops: These are unbelievable! We use boneless pork chops and a simple coffee-based seasoning rub for a flavor that’s rich, savory and so delicious!
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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
Sam says
Very good , but came out super salty. Going to make again using much less salt.
Debbie Horton says
Very good and easy recipe. Will definitely make these again in our air fryer.
elaine says
It would have been ok but I didn’t care for the brown sugar. Next time I won’t use it.
Shaun says
I mean absolutely fantastic. My man loved them!!!
Bill says
Title of this recipe is spot on. I smoke a lot of pork each summer so when I saw the recipe I just had to try it. I used thick pork loin chops which can cook dry. But not with this recipe and the air fryer. Used my own pork rub and some brown sugar. Perfect. We’ll done.
Erin says
My favorite air fryer recipe. I make it over and over again. Absolutely no changes. Do you think this would work for chicken? I have many family members that do not eat pork.
ERIN says
I meant to give it a 5 star.
Sonja Hill says
These are the best damn pork chops I’ve had in a very long time!!! I was dreading pork chop night…ohhh not anymore!!
The whole family loved them. Thank you
Heidi says
Great taste but I think they went too long for my AF as they were a bit tough.
Lindsay says
This rub is my most favorite and my husband adores it!! I usually double the amounts because, well, more is better. I had a bone in butt, 8 lbs. I cut the bone out and trimmed the fat. Made the pieces about the same size and used my air fryer. I had large pieces so it was about a 20 min run time at 400, flipping at 10 mins, to get them to 160 degrees. Covered in foil and let them rest. Perfectly caramelized on the outside and tender and juicy with a ton of flavor inside. Absolutely FABULOUS!
SassyMama says
Tried this recipe tonight. Followed it exactly as it said “except for the cooking time because my pork chops were on the thinner side” Wasn’t impressed at all. The flavor was not good. Defiantly not a recipe i’ll be making again. To each their own though. I love trying new recipes and you never know if you like something until you try it.
Nuriya says
The cooking time is perfect, my pork chops came out nice and juicy
Dee F. says
First time I’ve ever truly enjoyed pork chips. So glad I found this recipe. TY!
Shonda Smith says
Wow! I followed your directions exactly. They were the best pork chops my husband and I have ever had.