These cider braised pork chops with apple and rutabaga make an easy, tasty low carb one pot meal. A tasty mix of flavors, it's a comforting dinner.

This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

Pork and apple are a common combination for good reason, and this tasty dish has a double dose of both. These cider braised pork chops combine pork chops, bacon, apple, rutabaga/swede, all cooked in (hard) apple cider.

It's a hearty, comforting dish that's also an easy to make low carb, one pot meal. It's my twist on some very British dishes that deserve a wider audience.

Cider country

Many years ago now, I lived in Bristol in what's known as the West Country, in South West England. It's the heart of cider country, and by cider I mean what is known as hard apple cider in the US. My mum has always liked cider and I had tried some, but I wasn't quite prepared for the variety available in Bristol.

There was even a pub that only served cider, and had a good 12 or more different barrels from local producers lining the bar. They only served half pints (as all were pretty strong), straight from the cask, and many were fresh, unfiltered varieties full of flavor.

While (hard) cider is available here, it is much less common. We did, however, find a decent local one when my parents were last here for my mum to try. We had a couple cans left so I decided to use some in this dish.

Cider braised pork chops is a very British dish with a few variations. Adding apples is pretty common, others have mushrooms. Personally I am not as much of a fan of mushrooms in there flavor-wise but apples for me are a must. I decided to add rutabaga/swede to make it into a tasty one pot meal as the flavor goes well.

How its made

This is an easy dish to make as all you do is sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper then brown them in a little butter and oil. Set them aside while you start the bacon and onion cooking. Add the chunks of apple and rutabaga, then add the pork back to the pan and pour in the cider. Stir in a little mustard and thyme, cover and pop in the oven.

The cider keeps the pork moist and gives a tasty flavor. I added thyme, although sage is the more common seasoning. This is partly what I had and sage can take over, but use as you prefer. You can add a little cream at the end to give a little richness to the sauce.

These cider braised pork chops make a tasty, hearty one pot meal that's also easy to make. It has a lovely mix of sweet apple, the slight sharpness from the cider in the sauce and savory pork and rutabaga. Give it a try and enjoy.

Try these other tasty one pot meals:

One pot lemon garlic chicken with vegetables
Apple, squash and pork skillet
One pot braised lamb shoulder chops with vegetables
Plus get more main course recipes in the archives.

And if you're looking for another less typical braise, try my milk-braised pork recipe too.

Print Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes