We made some Grilled Pineapple Tidbits today. Grilled pineapple isn’t all that unique… so why did I feel the need to share a post about it? Because we have found a super COOL way of cutting it recently!
We grill all summer long. Well, we grill all winter long too, so I am not sure what the time of year has to do with us grilling. But what the time of year does have to do with this is that it is PEAK pineapple season for our stores here in West Tennessee.
Picking a pineapple to grill
How do you pick the “perfect” pineapple, you might ask? The most important factor we look at is the color. Some pineapples tout being “ripe yet green in color”, I just have not found that to be the case most of the time. The one in my picture was PERFECT! I was able to squeeze it and feel it give way a bit, able to smell it and actually smell pineapple, and the golden color was striking.
Hubby found this method of scoring the pineapple so he is starring in my descriptions today. He started by cutting off the top and the bottom of the pineapple. He used a long serrated knife so that he could take LONG strokes with it. Rolling the pineapple as far as possible.
Then if you will notice his knife is traveling “around” the pineapple at a diagonal…around and down and around and down following the “lines” of the sections. Then flipping the pineapple over and going the other direction over and over and over too….until there are crisscrossed knife marks scoring the entire fruit. This step takes less than 5 minutes.
How do you cut it to make grilled pineapple “tidbits”
After you have scored the entire outside of it then you cut it into quarters, top to bottom. I know you can hardly see the score marks on this pineapple but they are there. They start to show up as they cook. 
Hubby tucks them on the back of the grill as he gets started so that they get to heat the whole time he is out there. Making sure to cook the pineapple till soft is important because it needs to be pull-apart tender. 
Do you see the scoring now crisscrossed and splitting open?
Because if you have scored the pineapple correctly and you cooked it long enough (I have finished this in the oven wrapped in foil when he wasn’t out grilling for very long) then you get these perfect little “sections” that just pop apart and OMG at the wonderful smell!!
How long does it take to prep a pineapple this way?
The scoring takes about 5 minutes tops and they grill for 20 minutes (or more) but the time and the trouble are sooooo worth it!! These little bitty tidbits of sweet deliciousness are some of the best eating I have ever had!! Yes, there is a little piece of skin attached that you have to discard, it acts as a little handle. Hubby says you can take the skin off after you have scored it deeply but I like the little handles!
These grilled pineapple tidbits are a perfect dessert for a meal just like this. Here are some more grilling ideas 🙂 Maybe a tangy honey mustard salmon!
There is a great little garlic marinade in that post!
You just count this pineapple as a regular Purple container on the 21 Day Fix.
How else can you use these grilled pineapple tidbits?
I like to take the leftover pieces and trim them up of the skin and use them in different things like oatmeal. I add coconut and maple syrup sometimes for a tropical twist. Be sure to count your containers for those additions.
Reheat the pineapple in the microwave. Add a dollop of coconut cream for a warm/cool combo. You can even use it with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt for a salty crunch too. Once again, just count the containers you use to make this dessert your own!
I am going to work on a pineapple cobbler recipe this summer too, so stay tuned!!
[…] feels like a real treat too. We grill everything…meat, veggies, fish, and even fruit. I love grilled pineapple and peaches, it just makes it feel more […]