Weeknight Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops
- Yield 4 servings
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 50 minutes
- Total 55 minutes
Weeknight Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops sits in the Pork section of Regbie. The card serves 4 servings. Plan on 55 minutes from the first measure to the plate. The amounts and the method are both written on this page.
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
- 3 slices thick cut bacon, use sugar-free bacon if you’re on a Whole30, cut into ¼ inch slices
- 5 ¾-inch-thick bone-in rib-end pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Method
Start by rendering the bacon drippings by frying the bacon in a small saucepan over a gentle burner.
Once the bacon bits are crisp (about 5-8 minutes), spoon them out and set the bacon aside on a paper towel-lined dish.
There should be about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings left in the saucepan. Over a gentle burner, whisk the arrowroot powder into the drippings to form a smooth roux.
Keep whisking as you cook the roux until browned. Then, pour in the broth and fish sauce and stir until incorporated.
Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the sauce to a boil. Leave until it’s thickened (around 3 minutes). Lid the saucepan, turn off the heat, and set it aside.
Salt the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.
Warm 1 tablespoon of ghee in a wide skillet over a medium-hot burner. When the pan is hot, add the chops and cook on each side for 1 minute or until the edges turn golden-brown. Move the chops to a plate.
Turn the onions and apple—along with a sprinkle of salt—into the empty skillet.
Leave stirring constantly, until the onions are browned on the edges (about 5 minutes). Be sure to scrape up as much of the browned porky bits on the bottom of the skillet.
Tip in the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Move the chops back into the skillet, and smother ’em with the cooked onions and apple.
Tip the reserved sauce onto the chops, and add the thyme sprigs, before bringing the sauce to a boil over a hot burner. Then, reduce the heat to low, and cover the skillet. Gently bubble for 30 minutes or until the pork chops are fork tender.
Plate the chops, and top them with gravy and the reserved bacon bits.
Kitchen notes
- Plate with a reliable comfort food side!
- It is satisfying to pairing these pork chops with garlic cauliflower mashed fauxtatoes , mashed sweet potatoes , sweet potato fries , or cauliflower rice .
- (Yes, you can also serve them with mashed potatoes, white rice, or buttered noodles.)
