One-Pan Pork Chops With Apples and Bacon Screams Sweater Weather

The flavors of fall are on full display in this hearty one-pan meal. Crisp, tart apples are paired with smoky bacon, juicy thick-cut pork chops, and piquant mustard for an effortless dinner that comes together in only 30 minutes. The pork is tender, moist, and well-seasoned, and the fatty edges are nice and crisp. The sauce is perfectly sweet and savory thanks to the salty bacon and sweet apples and cider. Using both halved apples and sliced apples adds plenty of texture — you have both tender-crisp halved apples and super soft slices that become almost jammy with the shallots. Mustard provides a sharp tang, and fried sage leaves not only add a pleasant herbaceousness but lend a fun visual and crisp texture. 

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Using a meat thermometer and pulling the pork right when it hits 140°F ensures your pork won’t be overcooked and will remain nice and tender when you slice into it.

Suggested pairing

Reach for an apple- and pear-scented white, such as Albert Boxler Grand Cru Sommerberg Pinot Gris. “There’s an alluring, energetic vibrancy to the wines from Boxler, and their Sommerberg Pinot Gris exudes a freshness that cuts through the richness of this dish,” says sommelier Chris Dunaway of The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado, about this pairing. “The wine’s ripe orchard-fruit flavors are a nice contrast to the savory pork, and it often has a subtle smoky element that plays off of the caramelized notes of the browned pork chop and bacon,”