Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops

I made these in the oven in August, which my husband considers a personal insult when the grill is sitting outside. He walked past the kitchen twice before sitting down and not complaining about it. The bacon crisped exactly the way it does on a grill, maybe better because of the wire rack, and the chops stayed moist the whole way through. He asked afterward if I used the rub recipe as written or eyeballed it. That’s a specific question from someone who usually doesn’t ask questions. 4 stars because I’d double the rub quantity next time, the seasoning ran thin on the bottom where the bacon tucked under.

Cayenne and paprika smell sharper hitting a hot oven than they do straight out of the bowl. Pat the meat dry before the bacon goes on. Wet meat won’t grip the rub. That’s where you lose the crust.

Good but I’d cut back the cayenne next time.

Really happy with how these came out. The cayenne gives just enough heat.

Use a thermometer on these, not just the timer. The bacon looks done a few minutes before the chops actually hit temp, so it’s easy to pull too early or let the pork dry out waiting for the color to catch up. Learned this the hard way around batch three. 145 internal, meat stays juicy and the rub sets up right.

I wasn’t thinking about my dad when I put these in the oven, but the cayenne and the sweetener doing their thing in the last few minutes took me somewhere I wasn’t expecting, he had this pork chop rub he tweaked for years at every summer cookout and I honestly thought that flavor was just gone for me now. He never did the bacon wrap but that’s what makes this better I think, that fat rendering down into the chop while the rub caramelizes on top is nothing like I remember. Made it twice this week.

Sizzle when you pull the rack out. Batch five, doubled the rub.

I’ve been making pork chops on rotation for years but this one finally made me rethink the whole approach. I swapped the brown sugar substitute for Swerve Brown and pushed the cayenne to a full teaspoon because I wanted real heat, and the bark that forms on the outside is something I wasn’t expecting. The sweetener caramelizes into this lacquered crust on the bacon and you get smoky sweet first, then the chili heat rolls in behind it. Two things worth knowing if you’re doing this for the first time: thin-cut bacon is not optional (thick cut doesn’t render in time and you end up with a chewy wrap instead of tight and crispy), and the wire rack actually matters. I tried skipping it once and the bottoms steamed instead of crisped, totally different texture. Pat the chops really dry before wrapping too, it helps the bacon grip. This is the version I’m bringing to every spring cookout until further notice.

Never made pork chops before. Little intimidated, not gonna lie. But the bacon wrapping part sold me so I’m going for it. Main question: does the bacon on the bottom actually get crispy on a wire rack, or does it just steam sitting there? I really want it crispy all the way around. Worth flipping halfway through or does the heat circulate enough on its own? Also, does thickness matter much for bake time with boneless chops? I get nervous about pork doneness and don’t want to pull them too early or let them go too long and dry out.

Used thick-cut bacon and had to add about 5 extra minutes, but the edges get this almost candied texture from the rub that thin-cut just doesn’t get. Worth it.

I’ve got thick-cut bacon and the recipe calls for thin. Worried the chops will dry out before the bacon has a chance to crisp. Would you par-cook the strips first, or is there a better way around it?

Kept checking to make sure the bacon wasn’t unraveling, and when I pulled them out that sweet-heat rub had turned this deep caramelized color. Felt ridiculous for being nervous about this.

I’ve made a lot of bacon-wrapped pork chops and most come out dry in the center even when the bacon crisps up. This one’s different. The rub, specifically the cayenne and chili powder with the sweetener, creates this tight caramelized crust that actually holds the moisture in. Made these Sunday. Not going back.

I almost skipped the brown sugar substitute. Sweetener in a pork rub felt like it was going to tip cloying, and I came this close to leaving it out. Glad I didn’t. The chili powder and cayenne build this layer of heat, then the sweetness comes in underneath and rounds the whole thing out. It just works. The bacon got crispier than I expected from a baked method, and the wire rack is doing exactly what it’s supposed to. Cold Tuesday night, nothing fancy, and I found myself thinking about the leftovers before I even finished my plate. Making it again this weekend.

Six months into keto and by month two I’d just accepted that dinner was going to be plain. That rub broke the spell. Made these on a freezing Tuesday and stood there eating over the pan.

Made these last Saturday (brutal cold snap, perfect timing) and the sweet and spicy rub was incredible, but my bacon stayed soft and chewy the whole way through instead of getting crispy. Used the wire rack like you said so I don’t know what went wrong. I had thick cut bacon and just grabbed it without thinking. Is that the whole issue? The recipe says thin cut and I brushed right past that. Also the ends where they overlapped were especially soft and doughy. Did I need to flip them halfway through? Want to make these again this week and actually get the bacon right.

Delicious! My husband even commented on how juicy they were!