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Pork roast with squishy squashy apples is a one-dish Sunday dinner with a built-in side: six apples peeled, cored, and sliced into eighths, tucked around a spice-rubbed roast so they slowly collapse into a pork-flavored applesauce as the meat cooks. The rub — garlic, salt, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, and a whisper of cloves — perfumes both the pork and the fruit underneath it.
Pro Tips
- Rub the spice mix on every side of the tied roast, working it under the twine; the spices that fall off season the apples as they cook down.
- Cut the apples into even eighths so they all hit that squishy, saucy stage at the same moment instead of some dissolving while others stay firm.
- Cook to temperature, not the clock — 160°F in the thickest part, usually 45 to 50 minutes at 350°F for a 3-pound roast.
- Let the roast rest a full 10 minutes before slicing so the juices stay in the meat instead of flooding the apples.
- Spoon the salty, porky apples and pan juices over the sliced meat at the table — that's the whole point of cooking them together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of apples should I use?
Any apple works because the recipe wants them soft and squishy, but a mix of sweet and tart varieties gives the pork-flavored applesauce the best balance.
Do I really need to peel the apples?
Yes — peeled apples soak up the pork juices and break down into that sauce-like texture, while skins would stay tough and leathery against the moist roast.
Can I use a bigger pork roast?
You can, but go by the thermometer, not the clock: add roughly 15 to 20 minutes per extra pound and keep six apples per 3 pounds of pork so the ratio holds.
Is this recipe paleo?
Completely — it's just pork, apples, and spices, with no sugar, grains, or dairy. The apples sweeten themselves in the pork juices.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1.
- In a small bowl, combine spices into a rub using a fork.
- 2. lace roast in baking dish and rub spices on all sides.
- 3.
- Spread apples around roast in the dish.
- 4.
- Roast in oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until roast reaches 160 degrees.
- 5.
- Let meat rest 10 minutes before slicing.
