Swineapple

• Total: 1 hr 30 min
• Active: 30 min
• Yield: 6 servings

Brought to you by Food Network, this dish offers a great presentation for special events. Before they even taste this salty-sweet mashup, your guests will be circling the grill thanks to the irresistible aroma of slow-cooking bacon and pineapple. The barbecue pork ribs tucked inside become tender as they braise in their own juices. Served sliced across the middle, the swineapple is a sight to behold.

 

Ingredients

1 large ripe whole pineapple

1 lb. BBQ pork ribs, meat removed from the bones

12 slices thick-cut bacon

12 long bamboo skewers

Directions

1. Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat: For a gas grill (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off one of the middle burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For a charcoal grill, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.)

2. Slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple with a sharp knife and set the pieces aside. Remove the peel from the pineapple, cutting it off in strips. Using a paring knife, carefully hollow out the pineapple to a 3/4-inch-thick shell.

3. Stuff the pineapple with the ribs. Place the top and bottom pieces back on the pineapple and secure them in place with 4 long bamboo skewers.

4. Place a large piece of parchment on your work surface. Arrange 6 slices bacon horizontally on the parchment. The edges of the slices should touch but not overlap. Working with the remaining 6 slices, weave the bacon in an over-under pattern by lifting alternating slices of the horizontal bacon and vertically placing a slice of bacon over or under as needed to create a woven lattice design. Wrap the bacon lattice around the pineapple and secure it in place with 8 long bamboo skewers. Trim the protruding skewer tips down to 1/2 inch lengths with kitchen shears.

5. Put the swineapple on the grill over the drip pan with the bacon seam-side down. Cover the grill and cook until the bacon is crispy and golden brown and the meat is hot in the center, about 1 hour. Transfer to a cutting board. Remove the skewers and slice the pineapple into rings for serving.