In this episode, Taryn teaches you how to grill up some sweet and juicy pineapple slices! Not only is this recipe super easy and family-friendly, but she also shares some expert tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your grill. Plus, you’ll hear some delicious meal suggestions to pair with your perfectly grilled pineapple. Don’t miss out on this mouth-watering episode!
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast player. Or scroll down to read a full transcript.
RECIPES MENTIONED
These are some of the recipes mentioned in the episode, all of which are on Hot Pan Kitchen.
- Easy Grilled Pineapple
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Dry Rubbed Flank Steak
- Grilled Bell Peppers
- Grilled Onions
- Grilled Pineapple Chicken Thighs
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Some of the following are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Transcript
Taryn Solie: Hello grillers, and thank you for tuning in today! I am your host, Taryn Solie, and I am here to give you some grilling inspiration.
This episode is coming out on the first Tuesday in April, which to me feels like the start of grilling season! I’m so excited to finally have nicer weather and to really get good use out of my grills. I’m also excited for the upcoming Easter holiday and today’s recipe is a great one to go with your Easter ham. I’m going to walk you through how to grill pineapple.
If you haven’t tried grilling fruit before, pineapple is a great place to start. The flesh isn’t as tender as other fruits, like peaches or nectarines, so it’s less likely to fall apart on the grill. It’s also a little easier to handle because fresh pineapple slices are typically larger than half a peach or nectarine.
And yes, I’m mostly going to talk about grilling fresh pineapple. This recipe still works for canned pineapple slices, however those are often a little more difficult to grill since they’re thinner and more likely to fall through the grill grates. You can absolutely grill canned pineapple slices though.
Let’s talk about ingredients. For this recipe it’s pretty simple – you’ll need:
- 1 fresh pineapple,
- 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil, and
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
The ground cinnamon is optional, but I find it really enhances the flavor of the pineapple. If you’re not a cinnamon fan, or if it won’t work with the rest of your meal, you can omit it.
Another thing to note – the recipe I’m going to walk you through is sugar free. I find that grilled pineapple doesn’t need additional sugar as it’s so sweet on its own. If you want to make it sweeter, add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to the melted coconut oil before pouring it over the pineapple slices prior to grilling.
Now normally I would give you some tips ahead of time, but because this recipe is so simple we’re going to get straight into it and I’ll give you some tips and tricks as we go.
First you want to prep the pineapple. Use a large sharp knife and cutting board to cut off both the top and bottom skin from the pineapple. Quick note here – you’ll want to use a cutting board that has grooves around its edges to catch the juice of the pineapple so it doesn’t spill on your counter. If you don’t have a cutting board like that, place paper towels or a cloth towel under your cutting board to help catch any juices that drip off.
Next stand the pineapple up and start slicing the prickly outside skin off. You want to cut in small sections, making sure to curve around the slightly wider middle section of the pineapple. You will likely have little spots of skin that are still there, but don’t worry about getting all of the skin at once otherwise you’ll cut away too much of the pineapple itself – you can go back and cut the little bits off at the end. Keep going until all of the outside skin is removed, which you can throw away.
Next you’ll be slicing the pineapple, so place it on its side and cut it into thick slices, between half an inch and one inch wide. It’s better to have thicker slices than thinner ones as the thicker slices are easier to handle on the grill.
Put the cut slices of pineapple in a large bowl and pour the melted coconut oil over them. Next, measure out the ground cinnamon with a measuring spoon and sprinkle it over the pineapple. You’ll want to use your hands to rub the oil and cinnamon all over the pineapple to make sure each slice is fully covered. Wash your hands with soap after you’re done to get all the oil off.
Now you may have noticed I didn’t give directions to take the core out of the pineapple. I find that pineapple is much easier to grill with the core in – it makes the slices sturdier. When you serve the pineapple, people can just cut around the core or use a knife to core each slice if they want to stick it on a burger or eat it whole.
Okay, now it’s time to grill! Heat your grill to 400 degrees F. Once it’s fully heated, place the pineapple slices on the grill with a pair of tongs. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes, then open the lid and use the tongs to flip the pineapple slices over onto the other side. Close the lid again and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes – this will vary depending on how thick your slices are. Check the pineapple after the second set of 5 minutes to see if it’s softened and if not, keep the slices on the grill for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
Now to test if your pineapple is done, you’ll want to take a fork and press the tongs into the flesh of the pineapple on one side. Do this an inch or two outside of the middle core, not in the core itself as that will continue to stay hard. If the fork goes in easily it is done cooking. If it has some resistance and is not soft, keep cooking it. Then once all the slices are done, remove the pineapple with the tongs and serve immediately!
As I mentioned previously, grilled pineapple would go perfectly with cooked ham, but there are a lot of other ways to incorporate it into a meal! You can eat it with some grilled teriyaki chicken or with grilled flank steak. You could throw some bell peppers or onions onto the grill and make a kind of stir fry with all the grilled veggies. Or if you want to incorporate the flavor of pineapple throughout a meal you could make some grilled pineapple chicken thighs. The recipe I have for that does use canned pineapple rings, but you could also use fresh. And of course you could serve this grilled pineapple as a dessert with some vanilla ice cream on top.
I’ll include a link to the full printable recipe for this grilled pineapple, as well as the other recipes I’ve mentioned, on the show notes page. To get to it you can either go to my main website at Hot Pan Kitchen dot com and click on podcast in the main menu, or you can click on the link provided in whatever podcast app you’re listening on.
If you enjoyed this recipe, consider subscribing to the show on your favorite podcast platform so you don’t miss out on future episodes! I’ve got so many more great grilling and smoking recipes you’re going to love.
That’s it for today, thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep grilling like a mother.
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