Corn-bacon relish accents pork tenderloin // Mellow taste complements subtle flavor of charred meat

The tenderloin is the tenderest cut of pork, suitable forgrilling because its large surface area allows it to acquire a goodamount of exterior char.

Its subtle flavor combines well with the mellow but distincttaste of the relish whose recipe is given below.

There are many ways to grill corn on the cob, the mainconsideration being the degree of grilled/charred flavor you want.Here we want a lot, so we encourage it by glazing the ear of cornwith maple syrup while it's on the grill. GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH ROASTED CORN-BACON RELISH

3 ears of corn, shucked 4 tablespoons maple syrup 5 slices bacon, diced small 1 large yellow onion, dicedsmall 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage Salt andfreshly cracked black pepper to taste 3 pork tenderloins (10to 12 ounces each) Cook the corn in boiling water for 4 minutes. Remove it and letcool to room temperature.

Over a medium fire, grill corn 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightlybrown. Brush on the maple syrup and continue to grill another 2 to 3minutes, or until syrup begins to caramelize (it will turn goldenbrown). Remove corn from the grill and cool.

With a sharp knife, remove kernels from the cob. In a sautepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Addonion and cook 4 to 5 minutes longer, or until onion is transparent.Add corn and cook 2 minutes more.

Remove corn mixture from heat. Add sage and season to tastewith salt and pepper. Stir well and set aside.

Rub tenderloins with salt and pepper to taste and grill overmedium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, rolling them every 3 to 4 minutesto ensure even cooking.

(I prefer to eat this slightly pink, but if you like yourscooked completely, leave it on another 4 to 5 minutes.)

Remove tenderloins from the grill, let stand for 5 minutes, thencarve each into 1/2-inch slices.

Spoon some relish over each portion of the sliced pork andserve to 4 as an entree. From The Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlesinger and JohnWilloughby. Copyright (c) by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby.Reprinted with permission of William Morrow and Co.