Step 1

Add lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, garlic powder, pork chops, salt, and pepper to a ziploc bag and marinate for at least 3 hours, and up to overnight.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Step 3

Pat pork chops with paper towel to completely dry from any moisture from marinade.

Step 4

Season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 5

Heat a heavy cast iron pan (or oven-safe heavy pan) on medium high until very hot.

Step 6

Add butter or olive oil until melted and foamy or light and shimmery.

Step 7

Add in pork chops, without crowding the pan.

Step 8

Cook until browned on one side - about 3 minutes.

Step 9

Add garlic, lemon slices, lemon juice to pan as you sear the other side.

Step 10

As pork chops brown on the other side, stir garlic slightly and ladle butter/oil, lemon juice, and garlic from pan over the pork.

Step 11

When chops are browned on both sides, transfer to oven and cook until internal temperature reaches 145-150 degrees, about 25 minutes for a thick pork chop.

Step 12

For thin pork chops, only 5-10 minutes in oven might be needed. Use thermometer to gauge how close your pork is to being fully cooked since chops can vary so much!

Step 13

If you go by the older guidelines, it used to be 160 degrees, but the USDA now says 145 is good. Note that pork can still sometimes look a touch pink even when fully cooked, so go by the temperature.

Step 14

Let rest 5 minutes before serving.