Air Fryer Pork Chops (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

• 4bone-in pork chops — 1 inch thick, about 8 oz each — thin chops overcook before they brown
• 4 cupscold water
• 1/4 cupkosher salt — for the brine
• 1 tbspmaple syrup — or honey — a whisper of sweetness helps browning
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspgarlic powder
• 1/2 tspblack pepper — freshly ground
• 1/2 tspdried sage — or thyme

Method

1. 01

   Dissolve the salt and maple syrup in the cold water and submerge the chops for 30 minutes on the counter — no longer than an hour, or the texture goes bouncy. This is the step that forgives you later.

2. 02

   Pull, rinse briefly, and pat completely dry. Rub with olive oil, then the paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and sage. No added salt — the brine handled it.

3. 03

   Preheat the air fryer at 400°F for 3 minutes. Lay the chops in a single layer — two at a time in most baskets. Crowded chops steam; patient cooks eat better.

4. 04

   Air fry for 6 minutes, flip, then 4-6 minutes more, until browned at the edges and the center reads 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Start checking at the 10-minute mark; a thick chop can swing 15 degrees in two minutes.

5. 05

   Rest 5 minutes before cutting. The center should be juicy and faintly blush-pink — that's what 145°F pork looks like, and it's exactly right.