Kick start the season of summer with these delicious pineapple slices that have been charred to perfection with a sweet buttery rum flavoured sauce for a true taste of the tropics.
Since summer time is just around the corner I thought it would be fitting to drop this grilled pineapple tutorial.
I mean c'mon now, who seriously doesn't like some pineapple?
Its sweet, mouthwatering, delicious, more-ish I could go on and go. Crank up your griddle, grills and stoves, lets grill some pineapple slices.
Don't laugh at me but I am very unfashionably late in respect to joining the grilled fresh pineapple wagon. Just like I was late when this Thai Pineapple Fried Rice trend began.
I do recall some years ago speaking to some associates who would always find inventive ways to grill pineapple on a griddle during the hot summer months.
It sounded really nice but me being one dimensional, I was that girl who would play it safe with a Pineapple Punch or a whip up some Mango pineapple Hot Sauce and that's as far as I would go with my creativity.
Now I'm hooked on eating copious amounts of grilled pineapple to the point where I'm slicing up my fourth one.
Reasons why I love pineapple
- Its sweet and juicy (when ripe)
- I love the colour yellow, it's bright and vibrant!
- Pineapple reminds me of summer and Charla LOVES the heat
- It's good for you, health is wealth
How to peel a pineapple
This is probably the most intimidating and daunting task if you have never handled a fresh pineapple before. Well that is before I offer a helping hand.
- Lay the pineapple down on it's side on a chopping board.
- Using a sharp chefs knife to chop about 1 inch off the crown (top)
- Cut the bottom of the pineapple off, again about 1'' inch
- Stand the pineapple upright then use the knife to cut in downwards strips about 1'' thick to remove the peel and the eye (don't worry if the eye isn't completely gone)
- Use a small pairing knife to pluck out any of the brown eyes
- With the peeled pineapple and still upright, cut the pineapple vertically in half.
- Place each half on the chopping board
- Repeat the above step with the other half
- Cut the pineapple into long strips
- Grab each strip and cut the length towards the centre to remove the core (the tough part)(slices)
How to make pineapple tea
Yes, that's right DO NOT discard the peel and trimming (excluding the crown). The excess skin makes a brilliant healthy tea
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Leftover pineapple peel/trimmings
- Sweetener to taste
Use enough water to cover the pineapple skin
Add the water and skin to a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil with cinnamon sticks
Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes
Turn off the stove and leave to infuse for another 10 minutes
Strain off the infused tea in cups and sweeten to taste
The steps
Prepare the butter rum sauce by adding all of the ingredients (excluding the rum flavouring) to the saucepan, bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring until thick then add the rum essence.
Coat the grill with coconut oil the grill each side of the pineapple until charred.
Grilling time
Open grilled - 3-5 minutes per side just until the charred marks has formed
Closed grilled - i.e Optigrill which is a sanwiched type of grill once it heats up (purple indicator) wait until the grill indicates via color code that the pineapple is done. I found that the pineapple still needs to be flipped over to get those even charred marks.
Notes and tips
- The butter rum sauce is optional. skip and grill the pineapple by itself if worried about extra calories.
- Rum flavouring. I use rum essence/flavouring as an alcohol free alternative. If you consume alcohol then simply use the real deal in place of essence. Rum flavouring is just a personal preference since I don't consume alcohol.
- Refrigerate any leftover pineapple.
- Cut the pineapple into rings instead of slices
- Store bought canned pineapple also works for this recipe
- Prepare the rum sauce the night before to save some time
- Use the excess peel to make iced tea
Other summer recipes you may like
- Strawberry Slushie
- Pineapple Mint Infused Water
- Boiled Plantains with Kale
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Zucchini Avocado Salad
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Grilled Pineapple Slices
Ingredients
- One whole pineapple sliced (see post for instructions)
- Coconut oil
Butter rum sauce
- 1 can of coconut milk 400ml
- ¼ cup of dairy free butter
- ¼ cup of Coconut sugar agave, maple syrup works too
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of Rum essence/flavouring or rum if you wish
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce first by adding all of the ingredients for the butter rum sauce to a medium sized saucepan excluding the rum/flavouring.
- Bring the saucepan to the boil while stirring, once the liquid starts to bubble and rise reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- During the 20 minutes keep stirring as the sauce darkens and thickens (Do not leave it unattended)
- Stir in the rum/flavouring just before the saucepan is removed from the stove and set aside to cool.
- Now move onto grilling the pineapple
- Preheat the grill and coat with the coconut oil
- Grill the pineapple pieces (you may need to work in batches) until charred marks are formed (3-5 minutes per side).
- If using an Optigrill pre heat and use when the light indicates, coat the griddle with oil, grill the pineapple until the device beeps to alert readiness. Turn the pineapple over half way for even charred marks.
- Serve with butter rum sauce or alone
Notes
- The butter rum sauce is optional. skip and grill the pineapple by itself if worried about extra calories.
- Rum flavouring. I use rum essence/flavouring as an alcohol free alternative. If you consume alcohol then simply use the real deal in place of essence. Rum flavouring is just a personal preference since I don't consume alcohol.
- Refrigerate any leftover pineapple.
- Ct the pineapple into rings instead of slices
- Store bought canned pineapple also works for this recipe
- Prepare the rum sauce the night before to save some time
- Use the excess peel to make iced tea
Tara says
Such a delicious summer treat! The flavors were perfect and I love how easily everything came together. Definitely one of my favorite new ways to enjoy pineapple.
Charla says
Thank you so much Tara