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Shed Barbecue Biases, Finish With Perfect Pineapple

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By TONY "FATSO" SICILIANO

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 11, 2008

Has anyone ever asked you whether you were prejudiced? For many years, my answer was yes. I held a long, unfair and unfounded prejudice against my grill.

For years, I thought the grill was good only for cooking meat. Yeah, there was the occasional seafood, but otherwise, it was good only for meat. Like many prejudices, the root of my bias probably could be traced to parents or grandparents. I freely admit that this was the case with me and in my upbringing.

While I was growing up on Long Island, my father and grandfather spent endless summer hours grilling up masterful meals. Rib-eye and porterhouse steaks, ribs, chops, you name it. If it was ever attached to a pig or a steer, it was on their grill at one time or another. You see, it wasn't the meats my forefathers held a prejudice against, it was fruit. My old man didn't even like eating fresh fruit, much less grilling it.

But I can say here, in front of you today, that any prejudice I initially held for fruit has turned into a relationship of love, respect and acceptance on my grill. In fact, one of my favorite things to cook on my grill is fruit. My favorite is pineapple.

The pineapple was born to be cooked on the grill; the sweet natural sugars caramelize, and the tart flavor intensifies as the texture softens. Grilled pineapple is the perfect accompaniment to pork or chicken, or served as a dessert.

Start with picking the pineapple. Look for one that is slightly soft to the touch and with a sweet fragrant smell.

Once you are ready to prepare a pineapple for the grill, there are a couple of ways to go about it. One of my favorite ways is to quarter the pineapple in equal size portions from top to bottom, leaving on the outer bark and the fronds on the top. Brush the cut sides with some maple syrup and grill on one side over medium-high heat for six minutes, flip them onto the other cut side, and cook for six minutes more. When you take the pineapple off of the grill, carefully slide a sharp serrated knife between the bark and the cooked fruit and then make the portions into individual serving pieces. Just stick a toothpick in each piece, and you are done.

You also can cut your fresh pineapple into chunks and put them on skewers, or you can cut it into pineapple patties. First, on a cutting board, take off the bottom half-inch of the fruit, then chop off the top. Stand up the pineapple on the flattened base; in a downward, vertical motion, separate the bark from the fruit. Turn the pineapple on the side and chop into half-inch rounds. Now you have pineapple patties. If you would like to make skewered chunks, cut each pineapple round in half and carve out the core, then just cut each piece into more pieces.

This is an amazingly delicious and incredibly easy fruit to prepare. Grilled pineapple with nothing else added is also a healthy ending to a nice fatty barbecue meal.

If you are pigeon-holed into thinking of your grill as a cooker for meat only, you are mistaken. This summer, as you grill for your friends and family, dazzle them with some grilled pineapple. Don't limit your potential as a griller because you limit the kinds of foods you are willing put on your grill.

I have changed my father's and grandfather's thinking. They have left their grilling prejudices in the past - right next to their polyester pants and sideburns.

I should give everyone a disclaimer here: There really isn't a recipe needed to cook grilled pineapple to perfection. The natural sugars in the fruit and the great flavor are enough to pull off this dish. However, I have come up with a recipe that complements the pineapple very nicely.

TONY FATSO'S SPICY GRILLED PINEAPPLE
1 large ripe pineapple

1/4 cup of honey

1 tablespoon of rum

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Preheat your grill for direct medium-hot grilling. Trim, core and peel your pineapple. Slice your pineapple into 1/2 -inch rounds.

In a small bowl, combine honey, rum, cayenne pepper, sugar and cumin. Brush the honey glaze onto each slice of pineapple, coating completely.

Before you put the pineapple on the grill, oil or spray the grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place pineapple rounds directly over the heat and cook approximately 4 minutes on each side. Don't let your pineapple over-caramelize, you should see nice grill marks and the surface should slightly dry out. After you remove the pineapple from the grill, brush them with any additional glaze one more time. Serve and enjoy!

Tony "Fatso" Siliciano is the host of "On the Grill Radio" from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturdays on WFLA, 970 AM. For information, go to www.onthegrillradio.com.

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