Fruit isn’t something most people think of when grilling, but today I’m going to show you how to grill pineapples. Fruit is amazing on the grill, and pineapples are no exception, they turn out sweet and delicious. The nice thing about grilling pineapple is that it is quick and easy too.
First off you are going to need a ripe pineapple. When you go to buy a pineapple look for one that has a golden or yellow rind, this let you know that the pineapple is ripe. Once you have your pineapple we are going to need to slice it. Slice the top and the bottom off of the pineapple, then slice the sides off lengthwise from top to bottom. You will want to slice deep enough to remove the eyes.
Once you have the outside all trimmed off, lay the pineapple on its side and slice it crosswise into ½ inch thick slices. You are going to still have the core in each of the slices, so you will want to remove that. The best way to remove the core out of each slice is to use a melon baller like this one.
Next melt a couple of sticks of unsalted butter into a dish big enough to dip the slices into. You will also need a second dish of the same size with 1 ½ cups of sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon. You probably can see where we are going with this.
Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over high heat. Once the grill is ready dip each pineapple slice into the butter first then into the cinnamon sugar. Shake off any excess. Place the slices on the grill. We are going to grill the pineapple until it is nicely browned on both sides. This will be approximately 4 to 6 minutes per side. If you want the nice crosshatches in the slices, rotate them 60 degrees after 2 to 3 minutes of grilling on each side.
Once they are done remove from the grill and serve. You can have these pineapples hot or cold, it is great either way. Once of the best things to do is serve it hot over a bowl of vanilla ice cream; it is so good.
That is how you grill pineapples that have a nice caramelized sweetness. The grill brings out some great flavors in fruit, so give pineapples a try.
image courtesy of **RCB**/flickr