Grilled Peaches and Pork

No matter the season, a grill brings out the best flavors in ingredients. Whether meat or vegetable or even fruit, putting food on the grill creates a unique smoky and charred flavor that can't be truly replicated indoors. For this dish, I married sweet, caramelized peaches with rich smoky pork to create a sweet and savory blend of flavors the exemplified why grilling is such a good method of cooking. Along with some grilled corn and a fresh fennel, orange, and arugula salad this meal was a grilled summer classic.

I started by making the peach sauce. I halved, pitted, and peeled 3 ripe yellow peaches and grilled them for about 5-6 minutes a side on a hot grill. I then let them cool and blended them with some fresh basil, salt, and pepper. This turned into a thick sauce that had a lot of natural sweetness from the peaches, and a bright bite from the fresh basil.

I then grilled up some corn with a little olive oil rubbed on it. When grilling corn, I always shuck the corn, rub with some oil, and then put the cobs directly on the grill. When done right, you end up with some tasty burnt kernels and a smoky flavor throughout.

For the salad, I sliced fennel thinly and peeled and cut the orange flesh from the pith over a bowl, reserving the juice. I then mixed the juice with some balsamic and olive oil and tossed the cut up fennel and orange with fresh arugula and the dressing. The salad was a very bright, crisp accompaniment to the dish that didn't take the spotlight away from the other components but complimented them with added flavor.

For the pork, I first brined it for about 10 hours in a salt, sugar, soy, and water brine that gave the meat a very nice smoky flavor. I then grilled it for about 10 minutes a side until it was charred and the meat bounced back to the touch. I let the meat rest for about 10 minutes, sliced it crosswise at a slight angle, and served with some peach basil puree, grilled corn, and the fennel, orange, and arugula salad.