Southern Skillet Bbq Pork

Four ingredients and a nonstick skillet are all you need for these Southern-style BBQ pork chops. Italian dressing, barbecue sauce, and chili powder get mixed into a quick marinade that does double duty as the cooking sauce.

The Italian dressing is the secret ingredient here. Its vinegar and herb base tenderizes the pork during the 30-minute marinade, while the oil helps the chops brown in the hot skillet. Mixed with barbecue sauce and chili powder, it creates a tangy, smoky glaze with more complexity than BBQ sauce alone.

Browning the drained chops first gives them color and a slight crust. Then pouring the reserved marinade back in and simmering covered lets the pork finish cooking in all that concentrated flavor.

The whole thing comes together in about an hour, and most of that is hands-off marinating time.

Pro Tips

• Drain the chops before browning. Wet pork steams instead of searing. You want direct contact with the hot pan for good color.
• Don’t skip the marinade time. Thirty minutes lets the acid in the dressing start working on the meat’s surface. Less time and you just have sauce sitting on top.
• Keep the simmer gentle. High heat toughens pork chops. Five minutes covered on medium is enough to cook through without drying out.

Variations

• Honey BBQ: Add a tablespoon of honey to the marinade for a sweeter, stickier glaze.
• Spicy kick: Increase the chili powder and add a dash of cayenne or hot sauce to the marinade.
• Chicken swap: Use boneless chicken thighs instead of pork chops. Same marinade, same technique, slightly shorter cook time.