A weeknight dinner of brined pork chops glazed with a thick, smoky barbecue sauce that caramelizes in the pan. The shelf's sauce does the heavy lifting here, so you only need to sear the meat and build a glaze that sticks.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 18 at the stove.

About 430 calories a serving, 42 g protein, 0 g carbohydrate, 28 g fat. From USDA figures for 83% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Pat two pork chops dry with paper towels and season both sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Lay the pork chops in the hot pan and sear for 4 minutes on the first side without moving them, until they brown. Flip and sear the other side for 4 minutes. The chops should have deep golden color and register 145°F (63°C) at the center.8 min
3. Pour 3/4 cup barbecue sauce into a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon butter until melted. When the chops finish searing, reduce heat to medium-low and pour the sauce over them.
4. Let the sauce bubble gently for 1 minute per side, tilting the pan to baste the chops with the glaze as it thickens. The sauce should coat and cling to the meat when it clings to a spoon dragged through it.2 min
5. Transfer the chops to a plate and let rest for 2 minutes while you pour any remaining sauce from the pan over them.

Note Swap boneless chops (reduce sear time to 3 minutes per side). Leftovers keep three days refrigerated and warm well in a low oven. Serve with coleslaw and rice or cornbread to catch the glaze.