Glazed pork chops

⏲ ~19 min total · prep 17 · cook 2 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick (about 2 lb)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/3 cup sugar-free maple syrup
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Pat the chops dry, season both sides with salt, pepper, and the red pepper flakes, and let them sit 15 minutes to lose their chill.
2. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high until shimmering; sear the chops 4 minutes per side without moving, until deeply browned (about 130°F internal).
3. Drop the heat to medium; add the butter and smashed garlic and baste the chops with the foaming butter for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the syrup and vinegar and simmer 2-3 minutes, constantly spooning the glaze over the chops as it bubbles and thickens enough to coat the spoon — keto syrups scorch fast, so don't walk away.
5. Pull the chops at 145°F internal, rest them 5 minutes in the warm glaze, and serve with the pan sauce spooned over.

Why this recipe works

• Eleven net carbs, real glaze Eleven net carbs per serving for a glazed chop with a genuine pan sauce. The count comes from a third cup of sugar-free maple syrup split across four chops, and the cider vinegar keeps the sweetness from reading flat.
• Cast iron holds the heat A twelve-inch skillet that stays hot gives the chops a dark sear in four minutes a side. A thin pan drops in temperature and the meat steams in its own liquid.
• Glaze built in the drippings The syrup and vinegar go into the same pan after the butter baste, so the glaze picks up everything the sear left behind. Two to three minutes of spooning is all it takes to coat the spoon.

Tips for making this recipe well

Let the chops lose their chill

Fifteen minutes on the counter after salting evens out the cooking. Cold meat hits the pan and the outside finishes long before the center catches up.

Do not move them during the sear

Four minutes untouched is what builds the crust. Peeking lifts the meat off the fat and resets the browning clock.

Stay at the pan for the glaze

Sugar-free syrups scorch much faster than the real thing. Keep the heat at medium and spoon constantly for the two to three minutes it takes to thicken.

Pull at 145°F

The chops should come off the heat at that internal reading and rest five minutes in the warm glaze. Carryover finishes them to a juicy medium without a gray band.

Smash, do not mince, the garlic

Whole smashed cloves perfume the butter without burning. Minced garlic in foaming butter goes bitter in under a minute.

Serving suggestions

Spoon the reduced glaze over each chop straight from the skillet and carry the pan to the table. Twenty-five minutes start to finish, and 11 net carbs per serving covers a whole chop with its share of sauce. Anything plain alongside works best, because the sweet-and-sharp glaze is the loudest thing on the plate; steamed greens or a simple salad give it something to push against. Pour the extra pan sauce into a small pitcher. It thickens as it sits and loosens again with a little heat.

Storage and meal prep

Refrigerate the chops with their glaze in a covered container for 3 to 4 days. The glaze firms into a soft jelly when cold, which is normal, and loosens with a minute in a warm pan or a short run in the microwave. Freezing is fine for 2 to 3 months, though the seared crust softens and the glaze may look slightly separated until it is reheated and stirred. A gentle reheat in the skillet does far more for the texture than the microwave ever will.

Variations worth trying

• Sharper glaze Take the cider vinegar to two tablespoons. The sweetness reads less candied and the glaze cuts through richer sides.
• More heat A full teaspoon of red pepper flakes builds a slow burn under the syrup. Start there rather than shaking flakes over the finished plate.
• Thicker chops Everything holds except the clock. Cook by thermometer and pull the meat at 145°F rather than trusting four minutes a side.
• Bone-in instead Bone-in chops bring more flavor near the bone and need the same internal temperature. Expect a few extra minutes per side and lean on the thermometer again.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature should pork chops be?

Pull them at 145°F internal and let them rest. That is the safe, juicy target for whole cuts, and the five-minute rest in the glaze finishes the job.

Can I use real maple syrup?

The 11 net carbs in this recipe count on the sugar-free kind. Real syrup would add the sugar back and push the number well past where a keto plate should sit.

Why did my glaze burn?

Sugar-free syrups scorch fast once they hit a hot pan. Keep the burner at medium after the sear and spoon the glaze constantly for the short time it needs to thicken.

Can I make this without cast iron?

Any heavy twelve-inch skillet works. What matters is holding a steady medium-high heat through the sear so the chops brown instead of steaming.

How do I know the chops are done without a thermometer?

You are guessing, and the dark glaze hides the usual color cues. An instant-read pulled at 145°F beats slicing into the thickest chop to check.

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