Grilled pork skewers with peaches. It’s a simple, skewer-y, summer salad of sorts that comes together with a bag of arugula but without even turning on the stovetop. Sounds like dinner to us.–Renee Schettler
HOW DO I SELECT PEACHES FOR GRILLING?
When shopping for peaches that you intend to grill, you want to seek out ones that are just shy of ripe. And by that we mean almost-but-not-quite perfectly ripe. To ascertain this state of peachiness, gently cup the peach in your hand. It should succumb ever so slightly when you softly fondle it but it shouldn’t remain indented or ooze peach essence. And you definitely don’t want it to be too hard to slice. It may take a little practice and, if you choose peaches that are a touch too hard, a day or two of patience as the peaches sit on the counter. But we have every confidence you’ll get the hang of it. If your stone fruits turn out to be woefully underripe and simply can’t be coaxed to softness, try this recipe for peach slaw using rock-hard peaches. Conversely, if your peaches are far too ripe to be sliced, simply stand at the kitchen sink and slurp.
Grilled Pork Skewers with Peaches
Equipment
- Skewers
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the pork and the vinaigrette, if needed
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 pounds boneless pork loin or pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch (25-mm) chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 ripe but not squishy soft peaches, halved and pitted
- A few handfuls arugula
Instructions
- Preheat the grill. If using a charcoal grill, build a 2-level fire in your grill, which means you put all the coals on 1 side of the grill and leave the other side free of coals. When the flames have died down, all the coals are covered with gray ash, and the temperature is medium-hot so you can hold your hand 6 inches above the grate for 3 to 4 seconds, you’re ready to grill.If using a gas grill, preheat it to medium-high.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, and honey to make the vinaigrette. Taste and, if desired, add up to 3 more tablespoons olive oil.
- Toss the pork with 1/4 cup olive oil to lightly yet completely coat each piece. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Thread the pork onto skewers, being certain the pieces of pork touch one another but aren't jammed tightly together. (Figure no more than 8 pieces pork per skewer.)
- Place the pork skewers on the grill directly over the heat and place the peaches on the grill, cut side down, along the edge of the fire. Grill the peaches until tender, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the peaches' size and ripeness. Cook the pork, turning occasionally so all sides get nicely seared, 10 to 12 minutes total if you like your pork slightly pink in the center. (To check for doneness, cut into a pork chunk to be sure it's slightly less done than you like, since the meat will continue to cook after it’s taken off the heat. Timing will vary depending on the temperature of your grill, which means the total time can be considerably longer if your grill is less than medium-high or you prefer your pork more cooked than medium-rare.)
- Chop or slice the peaches and toss them in a large bowl with the arugula.
- Either slide the pork chunks off the skewers and toss them into the bowl with the peaches and arugula or divvy the skewers among individual plates. Whisk the vinaigrette to recombine, drizzle just enough over the salad to lightly coat the arugula, and toss with just enough vigor so everything is well-mixed. (You may have leftover vinaigrette, which you can pass on the side at the table or reserve for another use.) Serve as soon as possible.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
My family absolutely loved this grilled pork skewers with peaches recipe. We used nectarines instead of peaches out of sheer laziness. (I hate peeling peaches.) I’d say the recipe only took 30 minutes total to throw together. Quick, easy, and delicious. We used our gas grill, and the timing was just right. The fruit feels just a little soft after 6 minutes on the grill, but it’s still firm enough to cut with a knife. Perfect flavors. A definite repeat in our house.
This grilled pork skewers with peaches recipe is an easy yet delicious one-dish meal for a summer evening. The peaches are deliciously charred on the grill, and their sweetness contrasts nicely with the peppery bite from the arugula.
The pork was wonderful tossed in the salad, although you could easily serve the skewers separately with a drizzle of vinaigrette.
The peaches were nicely charred around 7 minutes for me. I took them off when the cut side was black. I cooked half the meat alone on the skewers, and I added some quartered sweet onion pieces between the pork chunks on the other half.
I much preferred having the charred onion pieces in the salad rather than just pork and peaches. My skewers cooked between 10 and 12 minutes, depending on which part of the fire they were over. A great, easy meal.
This grilled pork skewers with peaches recipe is great to make with the wonderful peaches that are plentiful at farmers’ markets this time of year.
I used pork tenderloin, which isn’t as easy to cut into 1-inch chunks as pork loin would be. The tenderloin, however, as the name indicates, does yield extremely tender meat. I felt that 1-inch chunks were too small and would cut the meat into larger cubes the next time I make this recipe. And I will be making this again.
All the components and flavors work well together, and arranging everything on a large plate, with all of the vibrant colors, gives you a beautiful dish. I did not add the arugula right away, wanting to keep its bright green color and fresh crispness. The vinaigrette worked beautifully on all of the components.
As someone who often craves a hearty salad for dinner, I found these grilled pork skewers with peaches to be very satisfying. I hadn’t grilled peaches before, and they really do make the dish. It took me far longer to clean the old grill than it did to make the actual recipe, and it was worth it. Do oil the grill grate first, as the pork holds on for dear life, and plan on manning the grill throughout the cooking time.
Though I usually like my meat a bit pink, the mildly charred pieces of pork were the most delicious. I’d recommend using a heavy hand with the peaches and the arugula to counter the heaviness of the pork, and letting each diner add the vinaigrette individually.
It’s also a good idea to add the hot peaches and pork immediately to the greens so they wilt some, and you can start stuffing your face immediately.
The recipe didn’t say whether to close the grill lid or not; I had it closed initially, then increased the heat to high and left the lid open as I manned the pork. The pieces on the edge of the skewers were still quite raw on some sides; eventually, I removed them from the skewer because they weren’t getting evenly cooked. If someone knows a kebab-twirling tip, I’d love to hear it.
The peaches weren’t getting enough action on the sideline, so I moved them over the fire for 6 minutes. They looked charred in places after 10 minutes, so I removed them and added them to the arugula immediately so that it’d wilt a bit. 10 minutes was sufficient but more wouldn’t have hurt.
This grilled pork skewers with peaches recipe is a simple and lovely summertime dish! The smell of the grill, local peaches, and kabobs in general mean this dinner screams summertime to me.
When I first read this recipe, I thought the flavors might be a bit too simple, but I think that’s the charm of the recipe. The easy balsamic-honey vinaigrette that you pour over everything is what really gives depth to the dish. The sweet and tart vinaigrette worked perfectly over the peppery greens, the grilled pork, and, of course, the sweet peaches.
The peaches I cooked for about 3 minutes per side, until they became a bit tender and had grill marks on them. I cut the cooked peaches and covered them with foil until ready to place on top of the arugula salad. I cooked the pork for about 6 minutes per side, so yes, 12 minutes total.
I chose to simply place the pork skewers on the salad studded with cooked peaches and then pour the vinaigrette on top of everything. This was a delightful salad that was fun to make and very delicious.
This recipe turned into a very vibrant and tasty salad. In my opinion, there’s no real substitute for the smokiness of food cooked over charcoal.
The sweetness of the vinaigrette was a nice counterpoint to the bitterness of the greens and also enhanced the innate sweetness of the peaches. I used baby arugula for this, as I find it more palatable than the more mature green.
For the meat, I used boneless pork loin. The pork was over medium-hot charcoal for about 15 minutes, as we wanted it a little more charred than pink.
The peaches were showing light grill marks at 6 minutes and could have actually used a little more time on the grill. While the vinaigrette was addictive, there was too much of it.
When I make this again, I will apply it more judiciously, perhaps to each serving of the salad, so any leftovers won’t be swimming in honey balsamic vinaigrette. Peaches are a good match for both pork and chicken, so I think I might try this recipe in the future with some skinless, boneless chicken breasts coated in oil and maybe some spices. It seemed a little odd to be making pork skewers but not actually serving the pork on skewers, but the salad was good.
