I have been asked about the way I prepare a pineapple.

Pineapples are delicious to eat and very versatile. They are refreshing as a dessert, just a thin slice with a couple of strawberries too, or maybe grilled with a scoop of ginger ice cream or used as a savory complement to some grilled pork, Hawaiian style.

First, choose the right pineapple! The best pineapple to eat will be the one that smells the best; some people prod fruit to determine ripeness, I smell it. Your nose will tell you how much sugar the fruit has. Choose a fruit that has no obvious bruises or mold and a set of good looking leaves.
Using a bread knife cut off the bottom of the fruit so that it stands upright and proceed to shave off all the skin. You will be left, as you will see from

the pictures, with rows of small blemishes that form a diagonal pattern around the fruit. Hold the fruit at an angle and cut into one side of a row of blemishes at a 45 degree angle then turn the pineapple around and cut the other side so that a triangular shaped strip is removed. Continue around the fruit until all the blemishes have been removed. Tidy up the bottom leaves of the pineapple and, if necessary, cut the top leaves at an angle to remove any dead or dried parts.
After the first trail run you will not spend more than 5 or 10 minutes doing this, but it looks impressive.
I plan on firing up the barbeque this weekend and will grill some pork tenderloin to go with the pineapple.

Grilled Pork -serves 4

2 pork tenderloins
¼ cup salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed to a puree
¼ cup olive oil

1 pineapple, prepared

Brine the pork by dissolving the salt in a cup of boiling water then adding enough cold water and ice to cover the pork. Let the pork stand for at least 30 minutes, a couple of hours would be best. You can add herbs and crushed garlic to the brine if you want; rosemary in particular adds a faintly herby taste to the meat.
Fire up your grill well in advance.
Take the pork out of the brine and dry off. Coat it with a mixture of crushed garlic and oil. There is no need to season it as it has been brined. Cook the pork over a medium heat for about 10 minutes in total, turning it once. The internal temperature should be 150 degrees.
Let the pork stand on a dish to rest whilst you turn up the heat on the grill and cut ¼ inch slices from the pineapple. Grill them just until there are grill marks on the underside.
Serve the pork sliced diagonally with the pineapple and a crunchy green salad with hot sauce on the side.