Yes, grilling season is here and what better time is there than this for trying this sweet, spicy Chipotle BBQ Stuffed Pineapple? I like my version of the swineapple better. First off, it’s safe to eat, as the meat will be previously cooked. Second, you can bake it or grill it. Third, since the meat is already cooked, it will go from grill to mouth way faster!
I have seen versions of the swineapple grilled for hours. Although they are no doubt good, the pineapple doesn’t hold too well when grilled that long.
Also, this Chipotle BBQ Stuffed Pineapple is healthier, as we are not wrapping it with bacon. Please feel free to do so if you’d like to.
Additionally, I like to make my own BBQ sauce, although there are many good commercial versions. If time is an issue, you can resort to your favorite brand and just add the chipotles and some pineapple to the mix.
I like making my own sauces. And my own spice dry rubs, for that matter. And Mexican sauces, gravies, BBQ sauce, you name it. I’d rather make them myself. I find they are more flavorful, healthy and their quality scores higher in every sense than their store counterparts.
Relax! The BBQ sauce is not complicated at all. You can make it in a jiffy!
It is still kind of rainy on the frontier, so I will be baking my Chipotle BBQ Stuffed Pineapple. Indoors or outdoors, nothing can possible prevent us from enjoying this!
Also, if you cook the meat the day before you will save time. Do not stuff the pineapple with uncooked meat. Safety first!
Chipotle BBQ Stuffed Pineapple
Ingredients
- For the dry rub:
- 1 lb boneless pork ribs
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper (use half if 1 full tsp would be too spicy for you) or Chipotle powder
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried chopped onion
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp olive oil to make rub more spreadable
- For the BBQ sauce:
- 2 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 – 4 chipotle chiles chopped (add more if you want your sauce spicier)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- For the pineapple:
- 1 large pineapple peeled and cored, eyes removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 300°F.
- In a small bowl mix all the dry rub ingredients and spread the mix evenly on the ribs on every side, using a pastry brush. Place ribs on a baking sheet and cover loosely with foil.
- Bake for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.
- Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce:
- Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in brown sugar and black pepper. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens.
- Remove sauce from heat. Divide into 2 bowls. Reserve contents of one of the bowls.
- Take ribs out of the oven, turn oven to 350°F. With a pastry brush brush them generously with the BBQ sauce from one of the bowls.
- Remove foil cover and bake for 30 more minutes.
- While meat is in the oven, prepare the pineapple:
- Wash the pineapple with water. Cut crown with a 1" piece of top attached to the crown. Reserve.
- Do not cut off the bottom of the pineapple. Peel sides and remove eyes. Hollow the pineapple carefully, core and flesh, leaving about 3/4" – 1" flesh on inner walls and inside bottom. Discard core. Reserve some of the removed flesh and crush it or chop it coarsely to mix with the BBQ'd ribs when you stuff the fruit with them.
- Chop the ribs to bite size, add some more BBQ sauce to them if you would like to and some of the pineapple flesh. Stuff the hollowed pineapple. Secure crown back on top using skewers and cutting them down to make the fruit easier to handle.
- If you are wrapping the pineapple with bacon, now it's the time. You can brush some more BBQ sauce on it to make it crispier.
- If you are grilling your pineapple:
- Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat.If you have a gas grill: Turn all the burners to medium-high heat. Turn off middle burners after 15 minutes and turn down the other burners to medium. If you have a charcoal grill, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to prevent flare-ups.
- Place the pineapple on the grill horizontally over the drip pan with the bacon (if using) seam-side down. Cover the grill and cook until the bacon is crispy and golden brown. This also allows the meat in the center to get safely hot, about 1 hour. Transfer to a cutting board. Remove the skewers and slice the pineapple into rings for serving, topping with reserved BBQ sauce.
- If you are baking your pineapple, brush it with BBQ sauce all over; set oven to 350°F. Cover a baking sheet with foil, place the pineapple (upright, if size of oven permits) on it and bake for 30 minutes. If pineapple doesn't fit upright, remove crown, place it on baking sheet and just reattach with skewers when serving.
- Remove skewers and slice into rings for serving, topping with reserved BBQ sauce.
- Enjoy!
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