Why settle for boring when you can have pork tenderloin seared in cast iron, glazed with bourbon, and surrounded by apples and onions that basically caramelize themselves? It’s cozy, it’s quick, and it tastes like you got the recipe from a French innkeeper in Honfleur.
Table of Contents
🗝️Why pork tenderloin, apples, and onions are the perfect fall dinner
🍎 Sweet apples + savory onions = the fall flavor power couple.
⏱️ One skillet, 30 minutes, zero stress. Dinner wins, sink loses.
🥃 Bourbon glaze makes you look fancy. Apple juice works too—if you must.
🥩 Juicy pork every time, especially if you give it that beauty rest before slicing.
🧾 Ingredients you’ll need for this skillet pork tenderloin
We’re not dragging out a laundry list here—just the kind of simple, honest ingredients that know how to behave in a cast iron skillet. Pork, apples, onions, a splash of bourbon… it’s basically classic Southern goodness with a flannel shirt and a glass of hard cider.
- Pork tenderloin – because chicken AGAIN is how family mutinies start.
- Herbes de Provence – fancy talk for “a spice blend that makes you look like you went to culinary school.”
- Oil – so your pork doesn’t weld itself to the skillet.
- Bourbon – for the sauce and for you (chef’s tax).
- Onion – the vegetable that cries harder than your Aunt Linda at Christmas.
- Apple – the one fruit that can hang out in a cast iron skillet and still look classy.
- Dijon mustard – a little tang, a little sass, just like you. (We like you that way).
- Brown sugar – because life’s too short for boring glaze.
Be sure to download the free printable Pork Tenderloin with Onions and Apples kitchen cheat sheet. It's got tons of tips, storage info, faqs, and more.
📖 Recipe
Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Apples and Onions
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sage, or herbes de provence
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons bourbon, you may substitute apple cider
- 1-½ pounds honeycrisp apples, sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Season pork with salt and pepper.
- Let stand for 30 minutes if possible - or wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. You can skip this step but it does make the meat more flavorful.
- Stir together brown sugar, dijon mustard, herbes de provence, and bourbon. Rub mixture all over pork.
- Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and brown the pork on all sides.
- Add apples and onion and cover. Turn heat to low.
- Cook until apples are tender and pork is done, stirring the apples and onions occasionally. This will take about 15 minutes. Current practice is for the pork to be a little pink in the center - 145F with an instant-read thermometer. This will ensure it's tender and juicy.
- Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme.
Notes
- Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Transfer the pork from the skillet to a cutting board to prevent it from overcooking while it rests. Cast iron stays hot for a while.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪 How to cook pork tenderloin with apples and onions step by step
No culinary degree required—just follow these simple steps and let the cast iron do most of the heavy lifting. Before you know it, you’ll have pork tenderloin that looks like you planned dinner instead of just surviving it.
- Toss the brown sugar, Dijon, herbes de Provence, and bourbon in a bowl. Stir until it looks less like a science project and more like something you’d actually eat.
- Core the apples, peel 'em if you want, slice ‘em up, and wrangle that onion into strips. Nothing fancy—just edible.
- Rub that saucy goodness all over the pork like you mean it.
- Sear the tenderloin in hot oil until it’s got a good crust going. Add the apples and onions, slap on a lid, and let the magic happen while you look smug about your life choices.
📚 More pork recipes you’ll want to try next
Pork, apples, onions... when I smell these aromas and taste these flavors I know it's Fall!
- Sweet and spicy Coca Cola Glazed Pork Loin is a vintage recipe that comes out super tender, juicy, and lip-smackin' good.
- Let the
slow cooker do all the work. Nestled in a sticky and sweet glaze, Crock Pot Honey Garlic Pork Chops only take ten minutes of prep! - Cheesy, juicy, and chock-full of sweet caramelized onions, French Onion Pork Chops are a unique twist on a classic dinner recipe.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Pork tenderloin is a long, round, lean cut of meat. It tastes best cooked at a high temperature, like we do in this recipe. Pork loin is a flatter, fattier cut of pork and usually tastes better slow-cooked.
An instant-read thermometer is my kitchen BFF. Stick the probe into the middle of the meat—don't go all the way through, or you'll temp the pan instead of the meat! You're good at 145 degrees F.
This easy recipe is one of my favorites because there's not much prep time and hardly any cleanup. Win-win, I get to spend more time with my family!
Or Netflix - depends on the day.
Comments
No Comments