What Side Dishes Go Best With Pork BBQ? A Few Favorites

What side dishes go best with pork BBQ? Grilled or barbecue pork, whether you're serving up pork chops or experimenting with pork loin/roast recipes, is a delicious treat and deserves some great sides to go with it. Here are a few of our favorites.

• For a simple and tasty side dish, try BBQ asparagus. This recipe is fast and easy and fresh asparagus is a truly wonderful summertime treat. A drizzle of fresh lemon juice brings out the flavor and makes it even better!

• Roasted or grilled potatoes are a perennial favorite. Barbecue potatoes come in all types of seasonings and shapes (wedges, chunks, whole). We particularly like using new potatoes (also called fingerlings) and seasoning with either a lemon-herb mixture, or an apple-rosemary mixture. Both go wonderfully with pork.

• How about fresh sauteed apples? If you love the combination of pork with a touch a sweetness, then this is a great option. Peel a couple of apples and slice them up. Melt some butter in a saucepan, add the apples, and toss in some brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until the apples are tender. Sauteed apples are a nice change from applesauce if you're looking for something just a bit different.

• Another alternative to applesauce is sauerkraut. To be perfectly honest, we're not fans of sauerkraut, but friends really seem to enjoy it with their BBQ pork.

• A freshly made fruit relish is a wonderful side dish or garnish for pork. Use any combination of fruit you like - fresh is better! We like a mixture of chopped apples and cranberries. Mix up about 3-4 cups of chopped fruit with 1/2 cup - 1 cup of brown sugar (adjust to taste), a splash of apple or pear juice, and a pinch of ground ginger and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil in a saucepan before reducing the heat and allowing to simmer until thickened, usually about 15 minutes.

These are just a few suggestions for side dishes that go best with pork BBQ, but really, it's all about preference! Fresh vegetables, potatoes, and apples are always good bets when it comes to pairing side dishes with pork. Check out our section on BBQ pork recipes for ideas on preparing pork on the grill, as well as the section on side dishes for the BBQ.