After reading that title is there any way this dish would not taste amazing? Wait, read it again: Bacon, Apple, and Rum Pork Chops. I think not.
Bacon, Apple, and Rum! Those things were meant to be together. The sweet apples, salty bacon, and spicy rum blend beautifully in this dish and create a velvety smooth sauce that is lick the plate good.
I have been making this dish for several years now. It has become one of my go-to quick weeknight meals. But I have also been known to make this for dinner parties or when we have company over. It looks fancy, but is beyond simple to make.
Not only do Bacon, Apple, and Rum Pork Chops use ingredients I usually have on hand, take less than 30 minutes to whip up, but it also only uses one pan!
That’s why this dish is so great for dinner parties, when I’m feeling stressed and trying to make everything perfect, only having one pan and one mess to deal with is a life saver.
Another plus is that pork is relatively inexpensive. I have made this dish with thick cut pork chops and thinly sliced slivers and it’s wonderful either way (actually I prefer the thinly sliced pork better, while hubby prefers the thick-cut bone-in ones).
You know those dishes that take forever to prep? You have to cut up a million different ingredients before you can even begin to think about cooking. What I love about this dish is it is not one of those. You cook one element, set it aside, then cook another. While one element is cooking, I work on prepping the next. It’s quite efficient.
- 6 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½ inch squares
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Four pork chops
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¼ cup dark rum
- ¼ cup apple juice
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon until crisp and light golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour excess bacon grease into a small bowl. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter and add apples. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook until tender and deep golden brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer the apples and any juices from skillet to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Liberally sprinkle the pork chops with the salt and pepper. Using the same skillet as before, add about 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease. Heat the pan to medium high heat. Add the pork chops and brown for 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate and cover to keep warm. Set aside.
- Using the same skillet, add in the onions and sauté until they are golden brown. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and stir to incorporate. Add in the Rum, apple juice, chicken stock, and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer. Return the apples and pork chops (along with their juices) back to the skillet. Simmer until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Season the salt with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with the reserved bacon bits.