Being a Jerk About Pineapple

I have been grilling pineapple for as long as I had a grill. It used to be opening up a can of the rings and throw them on the grill. Too often they would find their way through the grate and forever lost in the netherworld between flame and perfection. They ended up in grilling purgatory. Those that were lucky enough to survive the slide, I often cooked too much of the moisture out of them.

At some point I started buying fresh pineapple for my grilling. Wow. What a difference! I cut the pineapple thick for several reasons.  First off, there is no way they are getting through the grill. Second, the thickness allows it to heat up, get a nice set of grill lines, but also to remain juicy. My eldest would spend an extra day in school if promised all he could eat grilled pineapple.

While the pineapple is the side, it very much compliments the main dish of Jerk Pork. When I told a friend I was making Jerk pork, I was asked what was in the Jerk seasoning. I could describe the flavor but couldn’t come up with all of the spices. For the record it is allspice, hot peppers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic and salt.

A few slices of grilled red pepper and a stuffed jalapeno are great compliments to the dish.

The recipe calls for miniature pineapples, but I just used one big one.

I use more lime zest than the recipe calls for. In fact I zested most of the lime.

Love grilling weather.

Beautiful!

I start by cutting off the top and bottom of the pineapple. I then quarter it and cut out the core. Taking a boning knife, I then remove the flesh from the outside.

It is a big hunk of pineapple and the whole fruit can easily serve 8.

Jerk Pork Chops with Grilled Pineapple

Prep Time: 15 mins |  Cook Time: 15 min  | Servings: 4 | Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

  • 1 baby pineapple
  • 1/2 regular pineapple, (can be substituted for above ingredient)
  • 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoon(s) jerk seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
  • 4 pork loin chops, 3/4 inch thick, about 8 ounces each with bone
  • Lime wedges and cilantro sprigs , for garnish

Directions:

1. With sharp knife, cut pineapple lengthwise through crown to stem end in 4 wedges, leaving on leafy crown.

2. From lime, grate 1/2 teaspoon peel and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice. In small bowl, mix lime peel and juice with jerk seasoning and oil. Rub both sides of pork chops with jerk mixture.

3. Place pork chops on hot grill rack over medium heat; cook 10 to 12 minutes, turning chops over once, until browned on the outside and still slightly pink on the inside. While chops are cooking, add pineapple wedges, cut sides down, to same grill; cook 5 minutes, turning wedges over once. Transfer chops and pineapple to same platter. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

Source: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/jerk-pork-chops-grilled-pineapple-806?click=recipe_sr

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Categories: Grilled, Low Carb, Pork, Recipes

Author:The Ranting Chef

Check out the best recipes at rantingchef.com

60 Comments on “Being a Jerk About Pineapple”

  1. Looks delish! I’ll have to try this out!

    Like

  2. Somer
    April 26, 2012 at 11:04 am #

    Mmmm. Grilled Pineapple!

    Like

  3. April 26, 2012 at 11:05 am #

    Oh. My. Gosh. I have already forwarded this post to my personal grillmaster (AKA husband). It looks wonderful!

    I am so glad I found your blog. I love it.

    Like

  4. April 26, 2012 at 11:07 am #

    As soon as I finish building my grill, I think I’ll be using this to test it out. Thanks for sharing!

    Like

  5. April 26, 2012 at 11:09 am #

    Succulent looking chops!

    Like

  6. Jennifer Lowery
    April 26, 2012 at 11:09 am #

    Yum!

    Like

  7. P.S. I Love Soap Co.
    April 26, 2012 at 11:09 am #

    love grilled pineapple with brown sugar & tabasco! Can’t wait to try yours:)

    Like

  8. April 26, 2012 at 11:10 am #

    Looks delicious! Definitely going to try this one!

    Like

  9. April 26, 2012 at 11:13 am #

    If you lived near here, I’d hire you to make our meals. Our caterers have begged us to get new appliances (I never use them). Finally getting them. They will be spotless. Until they come again.

    Like

  10. Shawn
    April 26, 2012 at 11:13 am #

    This sounds fantastic! Making a promise to do this soon.

    Like

  11. April 26, 2012 at 11:29 am #

    I love jerk seasoning, but I hate pineapple! Good thing it tastes fine without it!

    Like

  12. April 26, 2012 at 11:38 am #

    pineapple is my brother’s favorite food. since i am preparing a feast for his birthday i am thinking of trying this. how long should i grill it?

    Like

    • April 26, 2012 at 11:51 am #

      When I grill 1/4ths of the pineapple it is over a medium heat (grill hot before you put the food on), I woudl say a total of about 8-10 minutes. 3-4 minutes per side (3 sides).

      Like

  13. April 26, 2012 at 11:43 am #

    I love pineapple, any way I can get it. But I had to stop eating it when I discovered it was a migraine trigger for me. I don’t love it that much! But I do miss it. I’ll just have to do the pork without it!

    Like

  14. Erika
    April 26, 2012 at 11:47 am #

    That chop looks amazing!

    Like

  15. April 26, 2012 at 12:22 pm #

    Stealing!! 🙂

    Like

  16. April 26, 2012 at 12:27 pm #

    LOVE grilled pineapple. Yum!

    Like

  17. April 26, 2012 at 12:37 pm #

    Wow.. that looks great. I cannot wait to grill this summer!!!

    Like

  18. April 26, 2012 at 12:42 pm #

    This looks like a great recipe and we just got some pineapple for grilling!

    Like

  19. April 26, 2012 at 12:44 pm #

    I’m big on grilled fruit – peaches, pineapple, plums, plantains – they all do well on the grill and the sweet caramelization of the sugars is so yummy!

    Like

  20. IslamicChamper
    April 26, 2012 at 1:07 pm #

    Wow that looks great, worth trying here in summer…we do alot grill here in Egypt..

    Like

    • April 26, 2012 at 1:28 pm #

      I imagine some summer days in Egypt you can just put the food outside and it cooks without a grill!

      Like

      • IslamicChamper
        April 26, 2012 at 1:35 pm #

        Yes, you are right..we have some high degrees in the summer..sometimes reaching up til 50 in the Sun

        Like

  21. Alli
    April 26, 2012 at 1:46 pm #

    I looove grilled pineapple though to be fair I love most anything involving pineapple (and it’s one of the few fruits I’m not allergic too!). Have you ever made Stoli Dolis? It’s definitely something you’ll only want to try when the kids are at Grandma’s for the weekend. Get a can or two or pineapple rings in heavy syrup, discard the syrup, put in an airtight container, pour in enough vodka to cover. screw on cap and leave in the fridge for at least 7 days. Drink on a hot day preferably outdoors over ice. Delicous and lethal. This is the only time I ever buy pineapple in heavy syrup, I’ve done this with fresh and canned in it’s own juice, but heavy syrup works best for this.

    Like

  22. April 26, 2012 at 2:21 pm #

    Yummmmmy. Photos are beautiful. Plan to try it this weekend (photos!)

    Like

  23. April 26, 2012 at 2:53 pm #

    Great post & how funny is it we all used that canned pineapple before we new better! Haha

    Like

  24. April 26, 2012 at 3:21 pm #

    mmmm, this looks awesome! there are few things more delicious than grilled pineapple. 🙂

    Like

  25. April 26, 2012 at 4:28 pm #

    I am so glad you chanced on my blog or I never would have found this site. I’m going to follow it. I can’t wait to try these pork chops! Yum.

    Like

  26. April 26, 2012 at 4:30 pm #

    Wow that looks good! For some reason I have never heard of grilling pineapple. I will have to tell Husband, my grill man about this so we can add it to our summer grilling meals.

    Like

  27. April 26, 2012 at 4:50 pm #

    Jerk pork, I’m all thumbs up! But… and I’m afraid I’ll be attacked by all the grilled pineapple fans that have already posted here, but I don’t understand what grilling pineapple does for the fruit. I do love the pineapple, I really do, but what’s truly happening besides it’s getting hot? Does the texture change and what kind of addition to the flavor am I getting for my grilling trouble?

    Like

    • April 26, 2012 at 5:33 pm #

      It does change the flavor. The heat begins to affect the sugars in the fruit and you can pic up the flavors of the other grilled items (if you keep your grill cover closed).

      Like

  28. April 26, 2012 at 5:30 pm #

    Man, you’re making me hungry here! And in the UK right now, it’s decidedly NOT grilling/barbecuing weather! But no matter… I bought a pack of pork chops yesterday… now I know what I’m gonna do with ’em! I may have to use my griddle pan to get the stripes, but it’s happening.

    Like

  29. April 26, 2012 at 5:37 pm #

    I have never thought much about grilling pineapples. This does look fab though, can see grilled pineapple incorporated into some salads nicely. Hmm… wonder if there are still pineapples left at the green grocer……..

    Like

  30. April 26, 2012 at 8:23 pm #

    Great pairing!

    Like

  31. April 26, 2012 at 8:39 pm #

    This article is watering my mouth. What a delicious combination! 🙂

    Like

  32. April 26, 2012 at 8:41 pm #

    I am definitely stealing the recipe, especially since I am a fan of pineapples. Great job on this one, and everything looks absolutely delicious to me!!!!

    Like

  33. April 26, 2012 at 8:57 pm #

    This meal looks fabulous! And I forget how much I like grilled pineapple… I might have to pick some up this weekend!

    Like

  34. April 26, 2012 at 11:16 pm #

    This is truly a great article It appeals to the senses. I swear i could smell the sweetness of the grilled pinapple and the hickory smoke of the steak.

    Like

  35. Frugal City Girl
    April 27, 2012 at 2:21 am #

    Man, you’re really making me miss having an outdoor grill! Thanks for the post (and the mouthwatering pictures…)!

    Like

  36. Naomi Kalish
    April 27, 2012 at 3:56 am #

    Pineapple is also great in salsa!

    Like

  37. April 27, 2012 at 6:09 am #

    What a lovely dinner! So special too! 🙂 Yum Yum Yum!

    Like

  38. April 27, 2012 at 6:49 am #

    For some strange reason, I have a “texture issue” with pineapple. The only 2 ways I will eat it is crushed or grilled!

    Have you ever used a grill pan to keep your fruits and veggies from falling through the grill? I find that helps me prevent the dreaded “slide”.

    Like

  39. April 27, 2012 at 7:03 am #

    Going to try the grilled pineapple, got lots and lots of mango’s here, what can I do with them? Clean suggestions, please!

    Like

  40. April 27, 2012 at 8:29 am #

    Delicious!

    Like

  41. alotonyourplate
    April 27, 2012 at 8:41 am #

    Hi! I wanted to let you know that I’ve nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! You can see the post here http://alotonyourplate.wordpress.com/ congrats! You deserve it. Here’s a site on the award if you want more info: http://versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com/ – J

    Like

  42. April 27, 2012 at 8:46 am #

    This recipe is going to be my “Sit by the Lake and grill out” for the Summer! Thanx

    Like

  43. April 27, 2012 at 12:11 pm #

    I love caramelized pineapple. Looks yummy.

    Like

  44. April 27, 2012 at 12:45 pm #

    Fresh pineapple is among my favorite things in this world. I recently made kabobs on my grill pan with fresh pineapple and it made a world of difference. Usually I’m chomping at the bit for the chicken or mushroom bits, but when pineapple is involved, I could just have a skewer devoted to it alone!

    Like

  45. April 27, 2012 at 10:05 pm #

    This looks really delicious! My kingdom for some grilling weather… 🙂

    Like

  46. April 27, 2012 at 10:38 pm #

    The meat has a great color to it. everything looks fantastic!

    Like

  47. April 28, 2012 at 10:36 am #

    Why have I never tried this?! We actually are going to do some bbq-ing in the park this weekend – so now we just need to locate a pineapple.

    btw. looks like a great combo with the meat.

    Like

  48. April 28, 2012 at 2:40 pm #

    Reblogged this on Charm's Health & Beauty and commented:
    Grilling season is here (for most of us) :~) so here is a recipe I thought you might enjoy!

    Like

  49. April 29, 2012 at 12:55 pm #

    Reblogged this on PT Courses Blog and commented:
    Yum!

    Like

  50. April 29, 2012 at 7:21 pm #

    Yummy!

    Like

  51. May 1, 2012 at 2:30 pm #

    Grilled fruit is one of my favorite parts of it being grilling season. I especially like grilled pineapples and mango. Yum!

    Like

  52. Being Cheap Comes Easy
    May 1, 2012 at 7:51 pm #

    This recipe sounds so divine! Can’t wait to try it!

    Like

  53. August 8, 2012 at 4:41 pm #

    Sounds delis, I need to learn how to pick a fresh, not rotten pineapple, like I did last time. It was an expensive pineapple for shish kabobs to throw half of it away.

    Like

  54. My Tropical Home
    February 12, 2013 at 12:45 pm #

    grilled pineapple..there’s a first time for everything! Will have to try this out…

    Like

  55. May 19, 2014 at 9:42 am #

    I LOVE grilled pineapple, but I’ve only ever tried it in stir fry! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Like

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Web Weekend #11 « merricontrari - April 29, 2012

    […] Chip muffins (Thrify & Green) Chicken a la Oink (haha) (Lost in Transition) Mouthwatering grilled pineapple (Rantings of an Amateur Chef) ANZAC biscuits (Shiksa in the Kitchen) Takeout-style Orange Chicken […]

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