Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops are one of my family’s favorite Paleo comfort foods, complete with Whole30-compliant gravy!

Paleo Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chop on a plate with a side of smashed cauliflower.

With its Creole heritage, smothered pork chops is hearty comfort food at its most straightforward. Just brown some chops and cover ’em with a thick, savory layer of sautéed onions and gravy; you’ll have a satisfying meal in no time. But don’t mistake easy for bland. My flavor-first version of this southern dish will satisfy even the most ornery eater—guaranteed.

The secret to a smashing onion gravy, of course, is the roux—the thickening agent traditionally made from approximately equal amounts of fat to flour. My Paleo roux substitutes arrowroot powder for the flour, and uses bacon drippings as the fat of choice, which adds a wonderful smokiness to the sauce.

Someone chopping up raw bacon thinly on a cutting board.

And what goes better with pork chops than apples? Answer: nothing.

Thinly sliced onions and apples on a cutting board.

The sweetness of the fruit and onions strikes the perfect counterbalance to the bacon-y richness of the gravy. An apple a day doesn’t just keep the doctor away—it also takes these pork chops from good to great.

Caramelized onions in a cast iron pan.

Is your stomach growling yet? Then let’s get down to business!

Time to make Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 3 slices thick cut bacon (use sugar-free bacon if you’re on a Whole30), cut into ¼ inch slices
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
  • 1½ cups bone broth or chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 5 (¾-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
  • Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs

Here’s what to do:

Start by rendering the bacon drippings by frying the bacon in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

Small pieces of bacon frying off in a small pan to render the fat.

Once the bacon bits are crisp (about 8 minutes or so), spoon them out…

Taking out the fried pieces of bacon out of a small pot with a metal spoon.

…and set the bacon aside on a paper towel-lined dish.

Fried pieces of pork sitting on a paper towel.

There should be about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings left in the saucepan. Over medium-low heat, whisk the arrowroot powder into the drippings to form a smooth roux.

Someone adding arrowroot powder to the bacon fat in a small pan for Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops.

Whisking the roux in a pot for Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops.

Keep whisking as you cook the roux until browned.

The roux for Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops browning in a pot.

Then, pour in the broth and fish sauce and stir until incorporated.

Chicken broth in a glass measuring cup.

Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the sauce to a boil.

The roux for Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops with broth and fish sauce coming to a boil.

Cook until it’s thickened (around 3 minutes). Cover the saucepan, turn off the heat, and set it aside.

The sauce for Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops thickened in a pot.

Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.

Five pork chops on butcher paper seasoned with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chops and cook on each side for 1 minute or until golden-brown.

Searing off two pork chops on a cast iron skillet.

Transfer the chops to a plate.

Seared pork chops sitting on a white plate for Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops.

Toss the onions and apple—along with a sprinkle of salt—into the empty skillet.

Onions and apples in a hot cast iron skillet for Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops.

Cook, 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.

Browned onions and apples in a cast iron skillet.

Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

A small glass bowl holding minced garlic.

Sautéed onions and apples in a cast iron skillet.

Transfer the chops back into the skillet, and smother ’em with the cooked onions and apple.

The seared pork chops in the cast iron skillet with the sautéed onions and apples.

The seared pork chops in the cast iron skillet with the sautéed onions and apples.

Pour the reserved sauce onto the chops…

Pouring in the reserved sauce into the cast iron skillet containing the pork chops and sautéed onions and apples.

…and add the thyme sprigs…

The pork chops simmering in the sauce with two sprigs of thyme on top.

…before bringing the sauce to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low, and cover the skillet. Simmer for 30 minutes…

A pan covering the cast iron skillet for bacon apple smothered pork chops.

…or until the pork chops are fork tender.

A pan of cooked Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops.

Plate the chops, and top them with gravy and the reserved bacon bits.

Plated Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops with a side of mashed cauliflower.

Serve with your favorite comfort food side. (I love pairing these pork chops with garlic cauliflower mashed fauxtatoes!)

Plated Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops with a side of mashed cauliflower.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops

5 from 9 votes
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops are one of my family's favorite Paleo comfort foods, complete with Whole30-compliant gravy! 

Ingredients 
 

  • 3 slices thick cut bacon use sugar-free bacon if you’re on a Whole30, cut into ¼ inch slices
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
  • cups bone broth or chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 5 ¾-inch-thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1 apple peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs
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Instructions 

  • Start by rendering the bacon drippings by frying the bacon in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  • 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 medium-low heat, 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. Cook until it’s thickened (around 3 minutes). Cover the saucepan, turn off the heat, and set it aside.
  • Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chops and cook on each side for 1 minute or until golden-brown. Transfer the chops to a plate.
  • Toss the onions and apple—along with a sprinkle of salt—into the empty skillet.
  • Cook, 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.
  • Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
  • Transfer the chops back into the skillet, and smother ’em with the cooked onions and apple.
  • Pour the reserved sauce onto the chops, and add the thyme sprigs, before bringing the sauce to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low, and cover the skillet. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the pork chops are fork tender.
  • Plate the chops, and top them with gravy and the reserved bacon bits.

Notes

Serve with your favorite comfort food side. (I love pairing these pork chops with garlic cauliflower mashed fauxtatoes!)

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 23g | Fiber: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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Recipe Rating




5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Another Winner!! I was a bit concern making the roux with arrowroot. I tried this with another recipe and came out gobby and looked unappealing. Not this time. It was a bit gobby but not unappealing. Delicious. I made the full recipe using 2 thick bone in rib pork chops pastured. Thank you.

  2. Got all the ingredients to day to try this, sounds delicious. I am confused about one thing though, which is the reserved sauce & which is the gravy?