One Pan Apple Bourbon Pork Tenderloin

This one-pan apple bourbon pork tenderloin is a quick and easy meal you can make on a weeknight. It takes 30 to 40 minutes from start to finish. And you can make a salad, unpack lunchboxes, and help out with homework during the same time.

The preparation of pork tenderloin in this recipe is similar to how I cook this cast iron chicken breast recipe. Season, sauté one side on the stovetop in a cast iron pan, then it all goes into a hot oven for the rest of the cooking time.

sliced pork tenderloin on top of apple cubes on a plate.
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Ingredients

The recipe is another example of how fruit goes well in savory dishes, like my chicken and apple meatballs, lamb meatballs with raisins, duck burgers with cherry ketchup, apple pie baked beans, or caramelized onion and apple waffles. This time it’s pork and boozy bourbon apples with the sugar toned down a bit.

 

Just want more apple recipes? Check out my apple muffins, lemon apple curd, or strawberry apple pie.

Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations and substitutions

  • Sub in another lean cut of meat like a pork chop. This is not the time for well-marbled cuts of meat like boneless country-style ribs, which are better matched with a slow braise.
  • Instead of apple, you could stick with fruit and go for pear. Or parboil some chopped potatoes and treat them the same way as the apples.

Tips and tricks

Note: if you have to peel a lot of apples for a pie, your kitchen should definitely have one those doodads that can peel and core an apple in 10 seconds. They’re inexpensive and a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen (an adult just needs to put the apple on and remove it). However, for this recipe, it’s probably just as quick to core, peel, and chop the apples by hand.

a collage of four pictures showing the whole apple, cored apple, cored and peeled apple, and apple chunks

What to serve with apple bourbon pork tenderloin

You don’t need much more other than a side salad, another vegetable like roasted beets or roasted Brussels sprouts, or a simple garbanzo bean soup. Or skip the apples and make these mashed sweet potatoes with bananas.

If we are talking wine, most people would probably suggest a white wine (like a dry Riesling), but we are red wine-drinkers in our household. I’d personally go with a lighter red like a Beaujolais (not Beaujolais Nouveau). Or keep the bourbon theme with a French 95.

a cast iron pan with a cooked pork tenderloin over chopped apples

Recipe FAQs

Which apple should I use?

I used a HunnyZ apple because it remains firm when cooked and has a strong apple flavor. You could use a tart apple (e.g. Granny Smith, Pink Lady) or any sweet apple, as long as it stays firm when cooked.

Disclosure: I was recently given two boxes of HunnyZ apples to play with by the folks at Gee Whiz. The HunnyZ is a cross between a Honeycrisp and Crimson Crisp apple.

What bourbon do you use for cooking?

I use Maker’s Mark or Woodford Reserve for cooking and baking.

What should I do with pork tenderloin leftovers?

The obvious use would be a leftover pork tenderloin sandwich – slice it up and add a little mustard. Or make leftover pork tenderloin tacos. Chop the meat and add some cheese, avocado, and salsa to a tortilla.

Use the search bar to check out other apple recipes from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives. Or try another one pan or one pot recipes like:

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.

Recipe

Apple Bourbon Pork Tenderloin

5 from 2 votes
Category: Main Course
Cuisine: Unspecified
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 647kcal
This one-pan apple bourbon pork tenderloin is a quick, easy, and tasty meal that you can make on a weeknight. It takes 30 to 40 minutes from start to finish. And you can make a salad, unpack lunchboxes, and help out with homework during the same time.
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Ingredients

  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
  • ¼ cup bourbon
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 medium to large apples cored, peeled, and chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Trim the tenderloin of any fat, cut it in half if necessary so that it will fit in your pan, and rub it with the thyme, salt, and pepper.
    1 pork tenderloin, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • In a cast iron pan or other oven-safe skillet, heat the butter or oil.
    1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
  • When the butter or oil is hot, add the tenderloin. Brown it for a few minutes on one side, then use tongs to turn the tenderloin and brown the lateral sides for a minute. Leave it in the pan with the side you first browned face up. Turn off the heat.
  • Add the bourbon and brown sugar and then the apples. Stir to coat the apples and then nestle them around the pork tenderloin (but leave the tenderloin in contact with the pan).
    ¼ cup bourbon, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 medium to large apples
  • Carefully move the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the pork is 165°F. About halfway through, stir the apples once.
  • Remove from the oven, let rest for a few minutes, and then slice and serve the tenderloin over the apples.

Notes

Because pork tenderloin is a very lean cut of meat, this method of pan roasting prevents the pork tenderloin from being dry and tough.
Feel free to substitute chopped pear, potatoes, or corn kernels for the apple.

Nutrition

Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 94g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 302mg | Sodium: 551mg | Potassium: 1897mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 5mg
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