Simple Weeknight Sumac Pork Chops – a flavorful and easy weeknight dinner! (Whole30/Paleo)
One of our go-to weeknight meals!
Weeknight Pork Chops
I honestly am not a HUGE pork person. I mean, I obviously a fan of bacon, but I doubt you will see too many pork tenderloin recipes here. BUT, give me a good bone-in pork chop and I am all in. I grew up eating pork chops my mom would make and it was always one of my favorite meals. And it is constantly on our regular weeknight rotation. I love how there are so many ways to mix up the flavors and to cook them – this is just one of many ways we eat them!!
I would say for me it is a toss-up which is better – pan-fried or grilled. My mom always pan-fried them so that has a special place in my heart, but grilling is always amazing too! I have included directions for both in the recipe!!
The zoodles are a simple side dish – for this kind of meal I prefer to sautée them in some ghee with salt and pepper. The pork chops have so much flavor with the sumac in there at I like the light/freshness of the simple zoodles! (I use this spiralizer and love it!). If zoodles aren’t your thing, I recommend some roasted broccolini!
Other Pork Chop Recipes You Might Like
- 4 Pork Chop Marinades
- Smoked Pork Chops
- How to Grill Pork Chops
- Pork Chop Seasoning
- Cast Iron Pork Chops
I also reference the use of a meat thermometer in the recipe so you know when your pork chops are done – here is a good one if you don’t have one! We use ours ALL the time when cooking meat! Recipe also calls for ghee – here is my tutorial on how to make your own or here is some you can buy!
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Simple Weeknight Sumac Pork Chops
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 pork chops 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Simple Weeknight Sumac Pork Chops – a flavorful and easy weeknight dinner! (Whole30/Paleo)
Ingredients
- 4 1-inch thick bone-in pork chops
- 2 –3 small zucchini, spiralized
- ghee
- Rub:
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 Teaspoons ground sumac
Instructions
- Combine Rub ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
- Pat pork chops dry and pierce repeatedly with fork to tenderize (both sides)
- Sprinkle a generous amount of rub on each pork chop, rubbing in to coat.
- Turn on grill to high heat (400-450 degrees) and clean grates.
- Sear pork chops for 3 minutes and then turn 90 degrees and cook for an additional 4 minutes (this creates the nice grill marks).
- Flip and Cook for 6 minutes or until you have an internal temp of 165-170 degrees (use meat thermometer).
- As soon as pork chops come off the grill, set them aside and allow to rest.
- Take large cast iron skillet and bring to high heat.
- Melt about a tablespoon of ghee and add zoodles.
- Using a pair of tongs, move zoodles around in pan constantly for about 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle zoodles salt and pepper and then serve with pork chops.
Notes
- (Note: if you don’t want to grill, feel free to pan-fry the pork chops. To do so, simply heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat; add a tablespoon or two of ghee and then cook pork chops approx. 4-5 minutes on each side; add additional ghee or olive oil to avoid the pan going dry; continue cooking until you reach internal temp of 165-170).
Mary says
This has become a go-to now! But I haven’t found the sumac. I used a food thesaurus website which suggested lemon zest as a possible substitution (and it’s something I already keep on hand!). So instead of the sumac I use 1/2 the amount of dried lemon zest (1 tsp) instead of the (2 tsp) sumac.
Renee says
World Market carries sumac if you have one nearby! It’s such a great spice to have on hand.
Ajax Jones says
Sumac is totally different from lemon rind, just buy it instead.
Mary says
Yummy! I even had my grill a little too hot and it still turned out juicy! (I decided that I needed to get comfortable with the grill this season, so I searched the Wooden Skillet recipes because so many of the other recipes have been easy to follow and turn out so well!)
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Mary! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review + feedback – I really appreciate it!