Apple Sauce for pork belly

Apple Sauce for pork belly is a must have when eating juicy pork with crispy crackling! This quick and easy homemade sauce served with roast meat makes the perfect roast dinner.

Recipes like my Horseradish Yogurt Sauce, Parsley Yogurt Sauce and Basil Yogurt Sauce are very tasty! The Garlic Yogurt Sauce pairs well with Air Fryer Beef Kabobs.

Serve them with recipes like the Air Fryer Jerk Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Skewers or Air Fryer Chicken Legs for lip smacking deliciousness.

Jump to:

• Recipe highlights
• Ingredients needed
• Instructions
• Serving suggestions
• Frequently asked questions
• Expert tips
• Homemade sauces
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe highlights

This is a simple sauce to make at home with easy to find ingredients.

Taking less than 15 minutes to make, this sauce has a deliciously thick and smooth texture, perfect for dolloping.

Versatile and flexible to work across a number of pork or roast meats, I wouldn't serve a Sunday roast without it!

It takes the pork belly to the next level point of deliciousness with a sweet flavour that makes you want more and more!

Ingredients needed

The ingredients needed for the recipe are shown in the photo below. They are each simple and easy to find at the local store.

As you can see, the recipe calls for:

• granny smith apples (naturally sweet tasting apples)
• brown sugar (loosely packed)
• apple cider vinegar
• lemon (fresh is best for this recipe, we use 3-4 squeezes of half a lemon)

I use Granny Smith green apples. They are commonly found and readily available in Australia and America, sold all year round. If you can't find that exact type, choose an apple that has a sweet taste that works well when cooked.

Similar to when making apple pie, the texture of the apple will soften as it is cooked and blends well with the small amount of sugar and vinegar topped with a fresh boost of lemon juice.

Apple cider vinegar is a pale golden coloured and will be found with the other vinegars at the store.

It is commonly used in salad dressings, vinaigrettes and has a zingy flavour.

Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make this sauce.

You will need a knife and chopping board as we start by preparing the apples.

• use a vegetable peeler to peel apples (Photo 1)
• remove core and seeds from apples (Photo 2)
• chop into pieces (Photo 3)
• add brown sugar to sauce pan (Photo 4)

It will take you about 5 mins to prepare the apples.

We peel the skins, remove the core and discard the skins.

Once those steps are done, we combine the brown sugar and apple cider vinegar in a saucepan and use a moderate temperature to allow the sugar to dissolve.

• add vinegar to sugar and dissolve at a moderate heat (Photo 5)
• add apple pieces to the sugar mix (Photo 6)
• cook apples till soft (Photo 7)
• blitz apples using stick blender, add lemon juice and taste (Photo 8)

How to make apple sauce for pork belly

When you add the apple pieces to the saucepan, you can place a lid on top as this will keep the heat in and make the process of them cooking faster.

Use a fork to test the apples as once they are ready it will go straight through with no resistance.

When the apple pieces are soft (about the 8 - 10 min mark), you can remove them from the heat and place on a heat proof surface.

If you have a stick blender I recommend using this as you can use it when the apples are still hot. (I use mine straight in the sauce pan being carefully to not touch the base of the saucepan).

If however, you have a food processor, you need to wait for the apples to cool down.

Simply put hot food and blenders or food processors don't go well together. You can reheat the sauce if it cools down, so it pays to be mindful of the technique you are using to ensure the apples are blitzed when you can according to the appliance you are using.

In the above photo, you will see the Air Fryer Pork Belly, Air Fryer Potato Cubes and our homemade apple sauce. Talk about a complete feast, nom nom, BYO fork and let's get to it.

Serving suggestions

This apple sauce for pork belly is a match made in heaven, they need each other to both taste even more delicious! Some similar dishes to have on the Sunday roast table are:

• Duck Fat Roast Potatoes
• Skin on Roast Potatoes
• Air Fryer Potato Cubes
• Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe
• Creamy Garlic Potatoes
• Quick Potato Bake
• Air Fryer Roast Chicken

Whip it up, pop it in a small serving bowl and let the dipping, dunking and dolloping begin!

Frequently asked questions

Why do people put apple sauce on pork

Combining apple sauce with pork is a traditional pairing as the apple sauce enhances the flavor of the pork and brings a moist contrasting texture to the crispy pork crackling.

The sweet taste of the apple sauce is delightful and its an irresistible combination!

A dollop of sauce on your pork is heaven sent deliciousness and an alternative to the savory taste of gravy.

What goes with crispy pork belly?

Apple sauce and potatoes are perfect to serve with crispy pork belly.

The texture of the crunchy crackling and soft, juicy pork blends well with the smooth thick apple sauce and the potatoes are the perfect, almost essential side!

Recently I shared my Air Fryer Pork Belly recipe with you. It has crackling that is audible to the bite and I whipped up this sauce and my Air Fryer Potato Cubes for dinner fit for your loved ones.

What do you eat apple sauce with?

You can eat apple sauce with a variety of foods other than pork.

Try it on a Grazing Platter with cheese and crackers. Stir it through baked goods, such as cake and muffins. Pair it with chicken, pop it on your morning yogurt or pair with beef or lamb.

• this recipe is quick and easy to make
• it takes about 15 mins (blitz appliance dependant)
• use apples that have a naturally sweet flavor and are suitable for cooking
• the recipe will make one cup of sauce
• the sauce will last in an air tight container for 3-4 days in the fridge
• this recipe is suitable to freeze
• to defrost, simply remove from freezer, allow to soft, then reheat

Expert tips

This is what I have learnt that will help you master the recipe from the 1st time and every following time:

• Add both the sugar and vinegar to the saucepan prior to turning the heat on
• Don't use any oil in the pan for the sugar and vinegar
• Put the lid on the saucepan when cooking the apples to speed up the cook time, once the liquid starts to splash, reduce the heat and test the apples
• Use a fork to pierce the apples at the 5 min mark and again at 8 mins, they will be ready when the fork slides into them easily
• If using a stick blender, you can blitz the ingredients gently into the sauce off the heat, but if using a food processor or blender you will need to wait for the ingredients to cool before blitzing.

Homemade sauces

If you love making homemade sauces, I recommend you dive into trying the following combos:

• Parsley Yogurt Sauce
• Lemon Yogurt Sauce
• Basil Yogurt Sauce
• Spicy Yogurt Sauce
• Sweet Chilli Mayo
• Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce
• Herbed Yogurt Sauce

Or check out all Homemade Sauce recipes on the blog.

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📖 Recipe

Pork sauces

I know that we have been getting saucy around here for a little while now.

But a lot of them are creamy, yogurt based sauces. They are great for Mexican dishes, chicken and fish, but meats need their sauciness too!

This is a simple homemade sauce that you will likely make time and time again. Once you try it you will see how easy it is and delight in bringing together a dinner that is entirely homemade, no jars needed.

I would LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments below, please let me know if you make the recipe.

How do you like them apples my friends.

Adrianne x