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If you've ever battled with dry overcooked pork chops before, these sous vide boneless pork chops are for you!
Never dry, always tender, juicy and delicious, these pork chops are also ultra easy to make and just about completely foolproof!
For the most perfect pork chops ever, we cook them at 140°F for a couple hours, give them a quick sear and we are good to go!
What I love about sous vide cooking is that it is virtually impossible to screw up your food. Once you set the temperature and put the pork in the water bath, it never cooks to a temperature higher than what you set it at, allowing it to stay juicy and tender.
This method of cooking is amazing for these boneless pork chops, but also works great to make these sous vide bone-in pork chops, sous vide chicken breasts or sous vide turkey breasts (never eat dry white meat again guys!!).
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Why This Recipe Works
- Again, this method ensures the pork chops are never overcooked, staying juicy and tender!
- The apple cider brandy glaze they are cooked in provides such incredible flavor - great for any time of year but reminiscent of fall flavors.
- A quick sear after removing the pork chops from the water bath gives them caramelization, which adds to the depth of flavor.
- These are very easy to make, with much of the cook time being hands off so you can do other tasks/relaxing.
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What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.
Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.
To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."
What is the Water Displacement Method?
The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).
Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.
Tools Used
You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!
If you don't have a lot of experience cooking sous vide yet, you may want to pop over and read what sous vide cooking is and the benefits of sous vide cooking.
More Sous Vide Pork Recipes
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Whenever cooking any meat sous vide, I always recommend choosing the thickest cut you can find. I really like using a 2" pork chop for this for the best results, but 1-1 ½ inches will work as well.
I almost always use avocado oil for searing as it has a high smoke point (does not burn easily over high heat) and has a neutral flavor that never impacts the flavor of the dish.
When choosing apple cider, I always prefer the unfiltered cider (it will be cloudy), but the filtered will work perfectly fine for this recipe also. Be careful to use apple cider, NOT apple cider vinegar!
For the apple, I typically use granny smith as it's what we have on hand, but really any apple will work here.
And I absolutely LOVE the flavor the brandy provides, but if you prefer to use something non-alcoholic, you can substitute with apple juice.
Step By Step Instructions
Heat a sous vide water bath to 140°F (60°C) degrees. I believe this temperature yields the best pork chops, but below are some other temperature options if you prefer to try something else:
| Temperature | Doneness |
| 130°F (54°C) | Rare - pink inside with a squeaky texture |
| 135°F-140°F (57°C-60°C) | Medium rare - pink and juicy throughout (recommended) |
| 145°F (63°C) | Medium - no pink, firm, but still juicy |
| 150°F (65.5°C)+ | Medium Well - getting drier, firmer (not recommended) |
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and place them in a vacuum seal bag with the ginger, apple cider and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.
Seal and cook for 2-3 hours. If you're in a rush, you can do 1 ½ hours, but I prefer the texture at 2-3 hours.
Remove pork chops from bag, reserving the bag sauce in a bowl, and pat the pork chops dry, thoroughly, with paper towels.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter and let it melt.
Add the apples and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to brown.
Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes to continue browning.
Add the brandy, brown sugar and the bag sauce and let it cook until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Add last tablespoon of butter, remove from heat and set aside.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking, then add the avocado oil.
Add the pork chops and brown for 30-60 seconds on each side (depending on thickness), until a crust forms.
Remove and serve with the sauteed apples and brandy sauce.
Serving Options
What I love about pork chops is they are so versatile.
- They are absolutely incredible serviced with mashed sweet potatoes, honey roasted parsnips or this Instant Pot acorn squash to keep the fall flavors going.
- Pork chops are always great with cornbread: try this Instant Pot cornbread or this air fryer cornbread.
- Everyone needs their greens! This garlic butter broccoletti is incredible, as is this sous vide broccoli or sous vide green beans.
- And if we're eating these in the fall, there has to be dessert, right? Try my all time favorite sous vide flan, this caramel apple galette, or these super fun Hotteok!
Expert Tips
- To cook these chops straight from frozen, add 30 minutes to the cook time.
- Substitute apple juice for the brandy if needed.
- When searing, be careful not to cook for more than 45-60 seconds per side or the chops will dry out - remember, they are already cooked, you are just adding caramelization!
- When searing, make sure the pan is smoking hot before adding the pork chops. This ensure they will caramelize quickly.
- If you are making the pork chops ahead of time, place them directly in an ice bath for 20-30 minutes after removing the bag from the water bath. Store in the fridge up to 5 days, or freezer for 3 months until ready to reheat, sear and serve.
- If the pork chops are 1" or less, only sear for 30 seconds MAX. For 2" or more, 60 seconds should suffice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pork chops can be cooked in the sous vide water bath anywhere from 1 ½ hours to 4 hours.
Sous vide pork chops can be cooked at 140°F for medium rare, 145°F for medium, and 150°F for medium well. I recommend 140°F for the best results.
The number one reason sous vide pork chops are tough is because they are seared too long at the end and overcook. Also, if you cooked at a temperature higher than 145°F degrees, you run the risk of them being more dry.
While sous vide can be incredibly forgiving with cook times, if you leave meat in the water bath for too long it will start to get a little mushy. I don't recommend leaving pork chops in for longer than 4 hours (except in the above case).
Reheating and Storage Instructions
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a covered container. Reheat briefly in the microwave, being careful not to overcook. You can also reheat in a freezer bag in a 140°F degree water bath for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.
Sous vide boneless pork chops can be made ahead of time as well. Just cook them in the water bath according to the recipe instructions. Remove them from the water bath and place them in an ice bath for 20-30 minutes.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or the freezer for 3 months. Reheat in a 140°F degree water bath and sear according to the recipe instructions.
More Amazing Pork Chop Recipes
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Recipe
Sous Vide Boneless Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 boneless pork chops 1 ½ to 2" thick
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil for searing
- 1-2 teaspoons salt adjust depending on size of chops
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar plus 1 teaspoon (for sauce)
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 1 apple peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ⅓ cup brandy
Instructions
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 140F degrees.
- Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and place them in a vacuum seal bag with the ginger, apple cider and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.
- Seal and cook for 2 hours.
- Remove pork chops from bag, reserving the bag sauce in a bowl, and pat the pork chops dry, thoroughly, with paper towels.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter and let it melt.
- Add the apples and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to brown.
- Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes to continue browning.
- Add the brandy, brown sugar and the bag sauce and let it cook until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Add last tablespoon of butter, remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking, then add the avocado oil.
- Add the pork chops and brown for 30-60 seconds on each side (depending on thickness), until a crust forms.
- Remove and serve with the sauteed apples and brandy sauce.
Expert Tips:
- To cook these chops straight from frozen, add 30 minutes to the cook time.
- Substitute apple juice for the brandy if needed.
- When searing, be careful not to cook for more than 45-60 seconds per side or the chops will dry out - remember, they are already cooked, you are just adding caramelization!
- When searing, make sure the pan is smoking hot before adding the pork chops. This ensure they will caramelize quickly.
- If you are making the pork chops ahead of time, place them directly in an ice bath for 20-30 minutes after removing the bag from the water bath. Store in the fridge up to 5 days, or freezer for 3 months until ready to reheat, sear and serve.
- If the pork chops are 1" or less, only sear for 30 seconds MAX. For 2" or more, 60 seconds should suffice.
Nutrition
Julie
So good! I love the fall flavors and the pork came out so juicy.
Danielle
Yay!