What to Serve with Smoked Pork Chops: 19 Best Sides

If you’re looking for a side dish that pairs well with smoked pork chops, consider a baked potato. It’s a versatile dish that goes great with most meals. You can also opt for mashed potatoes or even a grilled vegetable like asparagus.

Smoked pork chops are a great main dish for entertaining, but finding the perfect side dish can be somewhat of a challenge.

With the help of some of our favorite chefs, we’ve put together a list of 19 best side dishes to serve with smoked pork chops.

Let’s get started!

• See also these 59 sides for pork chops!
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• Pork Chops Wine Pairing – The Best Wines for Pork Chops

What to Serve with Smoked Pork Chops: 19 Best Sides

Smoked pork chops are so juicy and flavorful that they don’t really need a lot to be super awesome, but it’s always nice to have a few side dishes around so you can customize your experience.

Plus, if you’re serving a crowd, you’ll definitely want some side dishes to round out the meal.

Here are 19 of our favorite sides:

1. Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a classic dish to serve with pork chops.

The creamy texture of mashed potatoes cuts the smoky flavor of the pork, and it’s also a crowd-pleasing side that is easy to make.

2. Baked Beans

Baked beans are the quintessential side dish for smoked pork chops.

They’re easy to make, they use common ingredients, and they taste delicious.

Simply prepare your favorite recipe and serve!

3. Potato Salad

Potato salad is a classic side dish, and when it’s good, it’s really, really good.

After all, how could you go wrong with potatoes, mayo and/or sour cream, bacon bits, green onions and spices?

Done right, potato salad is creamy and salty, tangy and smokey—it’s everything you want out of a side dish.

And one of the best parts about making potato salad for smoked pork chops is that it can be served warm or cold, so if you’re feeling lazy or just don’t have time to prepare something from scratch (which we totally get), you can pick up a high-quality potato salad from the grocery store and serve that instead!

4. Coleslaw

If you love a good slaw, then have we got a side dish for you! Coleslaw is a great compliment to smoked pork chops.

The creamy dressing with crisp cabbage and crunchy carrots is the perfect combination of flavors and textures with your succulent chops.

5. Cornbread

A summer cookout wouldn’t be complete without cornbread.

You can make your own or buy it at the store.

It’s up to you, but you’re going to need some cornbread to sop up all those juicy smoked pork chop juices!

6. Macaroni and Cheese

If you’re looking for a classic side dish to serve with smoked pork chops, it doesn’t get much better than macaroni and cheese.

The smoky flavor of the pork chops complements the creamy cheddar in the cheese sauce perfectly.

It’s a surefire way to please everyone at your table and add a little zing to your dinner.

7. Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob is delicious in itself, but it’s even better when grilled or roasted after being drenched in butter (or ghee!) and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Plus, cooking corn on the grill or in the oven makes corn on the cob easier to eat—there’s no need to worry about getting butter on your fingers or having corn fall off the cob while you’re eating!

8. Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

Asparagus is one of those vegetables that everyone loves, but does anyone actually know how to cook it?

Let us tell you: Wrap it in bacon.

It’s that simple!

You can also sprinkle parmesan cheese and black pepper on top for extra flavor.

9. Sweet Potato Fries

Who doesn’t love sweet potato fries?

These delicious, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-in-the-middle fries are always a crowd pleaser.

Plus, they’re super easy to make, and they pair perfectly with a smoky flavor of barbecued pork chops.

Just cut up your sweet potatoes into fries, toss them in olive oil and salt and pepper (or any other herbs or spices you’d like), and bake them at 400°F for about 25 minutes.

10. Cucumber Salad

If you want something a little more fresh, try a cucumber salad!

This cucumber salad recipe is cool and refreshing, and uses dill to give it an extra kick.

This is a great option if you’re serving smoked pork chops in the summertime, or if you just want something light.

11. Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussel sprouts get a bad rap, but once you learn how to roast them they’re delicious.

Just boil them in some water, then toss with olive oil and place on a pan in the oven until they’re tender.

You can add salt and pepper if you’d like, or sprinkle on some parmesan cheese for added flavor.

12. Roasted Carrots

Carrots are a great option when you need a cheap vegetable that cooks quickly and will appeal to most kids as well as adults.

You can roast them in the oven or cook them on the stovetop—either way, they’ll be delicious!

13. Pasta Salad

If you want to serve something light and simple alongside your smoked pork chops, pasta salad is the perfect choice.

There are many ways to make pasta salad, but adding fresh vegetables like cucumbers or peppers will give it a light flavor that pairs perfectly with the smoky taste of the meat.

You could even try adding some grilled veggies like asparagus or broccoli florets — they’ll add flavor while maintaining the light feel of this dish!

To make things easier on yourself, buy pre-made noodles at your grocery store and just toss them together with whatever ingredients you have available in your fridge (or pantry).

14. Creamy Spinach

This side dish is pretty much perfect, whether you’re serving it with pork chops or not.

It has a creamy texture and a beautiful green color that really complements the smoky flavor of the pork chops.

Plus, it’s super easy to make!

15. Rice

Rice is a great way to fill up fast, which is helpful when you’re trying to get a full meal on the table before your hungry family members eat everything in sight.

Basmati rice goes well with any kind of pork, but you could also try a long-grain brown rice if you want something heartier.

16. Hasselback potatoes

If you’re looking for something slightly more unexpected, give hasselback potatoes a try!

Hasselback potatoes are baked potatoes that are thinly sliced all the way down (not quite all the way through) before baking.

They end up with crispy edges and soft centers that make a great complement to the chops.

17. Fried okra

For a side dish that will really wow your guests, look no further than fried okra.

This southern staple is a great way to add color to your plate and give your guests something new to try.

Fried okra pairs well with any kind of meat, but it’s especially delicious when served alongside smoked pork chops because of its sweet flavor and crunchy texture.

18. Green salad

If you’re looking for something lighter on the side to balance out those rich pork chops, try a green salad with fresh vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in olive oil vinaigrette dressing – it’s perfect when paired alongside your main dish or as an appetizer before dinner starts (and also doubles as great finger food if you’re hosting a party).

19. Baked potatoes

Smoky flavors pair wonderfully with the earthy taste and fluffy texture of baked potatoes. Plus, they’re super easy to prepare!

Just bake them in advance, then top with sour cream or chives and serve alongside your pork chops for an elegant meal that comes together in under 30 minutes.

How to Pick Side Dishes for Your Smoked Pork Chop Meal

Smoked pork chops are amazing.

They’re not only delicious, they’re super easy to make.

But what about the side dishes?

Side dishes can be tricky—there’s a lot more to picking the right ones than just going for things that pair well with your main dish.

Here’s everything you need to know about picking sides for your smoked pork chop meal:

1. Think about the flavor that you want to create

When we’re picking side dishes for our smoked pork chops, we think first and foremost about the flavors we want to create.

Do we want to go light and fresh?

Or are we more in the mood for something hearty and rich?

It’s also important to consider how much time you have—if you don’t have a lot of hours to smoke your pork chops, you may not be able to make that creamy potato gratin with caramelized onions from scratch.

2. Consider who will be at your table

• Are there kids?
• Will their parents be there?
• Is this an adult-only dinner party?

Each of these scenarios points toward different kinds of sides.

3. Consider the other types of meat that are in season

Consider the other types of meat that are in season at the same time as smoked pork chops, and try incorporating them into a side dish.

For example, if you’re cooking in wintertime then you might want to make some roasted root vegetables or a hearty soup with squash as an accompaniment because they’re both in season during that time of year!

4. Think about what kind of texture you want

Consider what kind of texture you want your meal to have overall.

Do you want something light and crisp, or something heavy and smooth?

Then look for vegetables that will add to it—for example, if you want a heavy texture, stick with starchy veggies like potatoes or peas.

When it comes to sides, there’s no one right answer; it all depends on what you’re in the mood for.

The most important thing is to just have fun! So experiment with some different combinations of side dishes and find out what works best for your taste buds.

4 Benefits of Serving Side Dishes with Smoked Pork Chops

Pork chops are a very popular main dish, but you can’t eat them alone.

Each pork chop needs to be served with a side dish to round out the meal.

Here are some of the benefits of serving side dishes with smoked pork chops:

1. Help You Meet Nutritional Needs

Whether you’re eating at home or cooking for a family, everyone has nutritional needs that need to be met.

Pork chops don’t always provide all of the nutrients everyone needs to stay healthy and get through the day.

By choosing side dishes that do provide these nutrients, you can ensure that your family is getting all of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they need to stay healthy.

2. Break Up the Fat in Pork Chops

Pork chops are an excellent source of protein, but they also contain a significant amount of fat.

If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy diet, you’ll want to make sure you’re eating less fat than usual.

Serving pork chops with vegetables and other low-fat foods can help balance out your diet so that it contains less fat overall.

3. Add Color and Flavor to Your Meal

Adding side dishes with smoked pork chops will also help you make sure you have an attractive plate of food.

Think about how much more appetizing your plate will look if you include lots of different foods on it.

It’s important to create a plate that looks like something out of a magazine so that you feel good about what you are eating.

The more colorful the plate is, the better it will look.

You won’t feel like your meal is missing something if you take the time to add some side dishes along with it.

4. Providing variety in terms of taste

One of the primary benefits of serving side dishes with smoked pork chops is that it provides variety in terms of taste.

A smoked pork chop is typically smoked for about two to three hours.

This method of cooking gives the meat a very distinct smoky flavor, which can be appealing to some consumers.

However, serving side dishes with a smoked pork chop allows you to provide customers with additional options in terms of taste.

For example, if a customer does not want to eat a smoky-flavored dish, you can offer them another dish that does not have the same smoky flavor.