Grilled Caramelized Brown Sugar Pineapple Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to grill fresh or canned pineapple? ›

We love to grill meats and vegetables and our newest favorite thing to throw on the grill is pineapple. You can use fresh pineapple or canned pineapple. Of course, fresh pineapple is better. You can buy it at Costco or at the grocery store in the produce department already trimmed, cored and peeled.

High heat intensifies the rich flavor of this tropical fruit

But what a letdown if the pineapple is less than ripe — as are so many you find in the supermarket. It tastes OK, but lacks the full, rich flavor of truly ripe fruit.

Grilling also produces grill marks where the pineapple slices meet the grill grate. This adds visual appeal and the way those marks turn a dark golden brown means that the sugars in the pineapple have caramelized, producing new and wonderfully complex flavors.

When you make grilled pineapple, something magical happens. The already-juicy fruit becomes even juicier, and its sugars caramelize and char against the grill grates. You end up with grilled pineapple rings that are smoky, tart, tender, and sweet.

It's hard to improve on fresh, in-season pineapple—until you throw it on the grill and let its sugars caramelize, bringing out its sweetness even more (not to mention adding a little smokiness).

Slice the pineapple into 3/4 inch thick slices. Spread the brown sugar and maple syrup mixture on both sides of pineapple slice. Get grilling. Place pineapples on the grill grates and cook for 4-8 minutes per side, depending on how cooked you want your pineapple.

Place pineapple over indirect heat, cover grill, and slowly roast, turning pineapple occasionally, until outside is dark brown, flesh is beginning to collapse underneath skin, and some juices are bubbling up in places, 2–2½ hours.

Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which breaks down proteins in meat. Bromelain can make meats tender. If you over marinate the meat, it can cause them to literally fall apart. Even if you hit it right, the meat is going to taste of pineapple, to some degree, and you have to want that flavor in your dish.

Choose a pineapple that's golden in color and aromatic. The more yellow the pineapple looks, the riper it is. Avoid fruit with a greenish hue, as they are likely not ripe yet.

Basically Brazilian grilled pineapple is a pineapple coated in mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon, then grilled on open BBQ. Some people also baste the pineapple in butter. With the heat, the sugar and cinnamon starts to melt and caramelize.

What to do if you cut up a pineapple and it is not ripe yet? ›

What do I do with a cut pineapple that is not ripe? You can try placing it in an open container that won't leak juice (like a plastic container) and putting it in a paper bag in the fridge with an apple. This should help it ripen faster. You could also try grilling it.

But the exterior of a pineapple changes from a green-gray to yellow as it ripens, so as a general rule, the more yellow a pineapple's exterior is, the riper the fruit will be. You want a pineapple that is consistently golden-yellow from top to bottom, but not getting into dark orange territory—that's gone too far.

And yes, as you would expect, this makes your pineapple a tad salty. But salt balances the sweetness and acidity nicely. "It's a long-standing culinary tradition to salt sweet things," says Camire. "A little bit of salt helps intensifies the sweet flavor."

However, it's worth noting that, of the carbs in a thin slice of pineapple, 5.5 g are naturally occurring sugar. A 3-ounce slice contains 8.3 g of sugar, and a cup of pineapple chunks contains 16.3 g. The body digests sugar more quickly than other types of starch, and it's more likely to trigger a glucose spike.

Fresh pineapple is ideal for this dish but it works with tinned pineapple slices too. Allow 2 slices per person. You can also use ready-prepared fresh pineapple pieces, threaded on skewers. Barbecue for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Try using canned pineapple in place of fresh fruit. Canned pineapple has been heated causing the bromelain to be less reactive. Also try heating pineapple in a sauce pan, and allowing it to cool, before adding it to your delicious recipes.

Perhaps it's a testament to how undeniably well the flavors mesh, and how thoughtfully he and his colleagues consider the ingredients. They don't use canned pineapple, instead opting for fresh, raw, shaved pineapple. "It's key," he says.

Pineapples produce a mixture of several enzymes that can be used to tenderize meats.