Skillet Apples and Bourbon Pork
Dried apples, jerky-cut pork, and a splash of bourbon in a hot pan. Car-camping dinner from a cast iron skillet.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 103
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 250 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Shelf-stable pork loin, vacuum-sealed or canned | 10 oz | canned chicken works if pork is hard to find |
|---|---|---|
| Dried apple rings | 1 cup | unsweetened, torn into strips |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Bourbon | 2 tbsp | carried in a small flask |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried onion flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste | |
| Instant chicken or vegetable bouillon | 1 cube |
Method
- Pour 250 ml of water over the apple rings and onion flakes in a mug or bottle. Let them sit ten minutes while the pan heats.
- Get the skillet hot over the fire or stove. Add the oil, then the pork cut into thick coins. Sear both sides until the edges brown, four or five minutes.
- Push the pork to one side. Tip in the soaked apples and onions with their water, plus the bouillon, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Add the bourbon. Stand back if you are over open flame; it will flare for a second.
- Simmer uncovered until the liquid thickens into a glaze, about ten minutes. Stir now and then so the sugar does not scorch.
- Salt and pepper at the end, once the bouillon has had its say.
Cast iron and an open fire want something that browns, and shelf-stable pork loin browns fine as long as you dry it off and leave it alone in the pan. The original version of this leans on fresh apples, which bruise in a pack and weigh four times what dried rings do. Soaking the rings first gives you both the fruit and the liquid you need, so no separate stock is required.
The glaze is the point. Sugar, bourbon, and bouillon reduce down onto the meat instead of sitting under it as sauce, which matters when you are eating out of the skillet. Watch it near the end — once the liquid goes, the sugar burns fast.
Packing
Sugar, cinnamon, onion flakes, and the crumbled bouillon go in one small bag. Apples in another. Pork stays sealed until the pan is hot.
Variations
- Skip the bourbon and use a splash of apple cider vinegar for the same sharp edge.
- Instant mashed potatoes on the side soak up the glaze and add 300 calories.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/pages/our-best-recipes-for-apple-picking-season