Pork And Apples Have A Long-Standing Romance

The pairing of pork and apples is one of the oldest in Western cooking, and it began largely by accident, shaped by the farm calendar.

Before refrigeration, farm families traditionally butchered hogs after the first hard frost, when cold weather made it safer to handle and cure the meat. Apples arrived around the same time. Every autumn, households could find themselves with fresh pork and more apples than they could store.

Putting the two together simply made sense.

The combination dates back at least to ancient Rome. “Apicius,” a Roman recipe collection compiled around the fourth century, includes a dish called minutal matianum — pork shoulder simmered with leeks and diced apples.

The recipe even calls for a particular kind of apple. Matian apples were named for Gaius Matius, a friend of Julius Caesar who was credited with developing the variety.

Centuries later, pork and apples remain natural partners. The sweetness and acidity of apples work especially well with the savory flavor of pork, whether the fruit is turned into applesauce, roasted alongside the meat, or cooked into a simple skillet sauce.

One thing has changed, however: the pork itself.

Today’s pork is far leaner than the pork many people grew up eating. Cooking advice has changed with it.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered its recommended cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork from 160 degrees to 145 degrees, followed by a three-minute rest.

That means pork can still be faintly pink in the center and be done. Anyone who learned to cook a pork chop until the middle turned completely gray may have been eating overcooked pork for years.

The following skillet recipe puts the old pork-and-apple partnership to work in an easy meal. Browning the chops first builds flavor, while cider loosens all those browned bits from the skillet and turns them into a sauce.

Skillet Pork Chops With Apples And Onions

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick
2 firm apples, cored and thickly sliced, such as Braeburn, Jonagold or Granny Smith
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. This first step matters: Dry meat browns well. Wet meat tends to steam.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops and brown for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer them to a plate.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter, onion, and apples. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens and the apples start to color.
4. Pour in the apple cider, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen the flavorful browned bits. Stir in the thyme.
5. Return the pork chops and any juices collected on the plate to the skillet. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally spooning the sauce over the chops. Cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 145 degrees.
6. Remove the chops from the heat and let them rest for three minutes before serving. Spoon the apples, onions, and cider pan sauce over the top.

Mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles make good companions, especially because either will catch the cider-rich pan sauce.

This simple supper is built around a combination cooks discovered centuries ago: When pork and apples arrive at the table together, there is little reason to separate them.