Smoked Pineapple Recipe

Smoked pineapple is the easiest side dish or dessert to make on your smoker that will impress your friends and excite your tastebuds.

The perfect compliment to smoked meats, fish, and other smoker recipes a whole smoked pineapple is what you will be in adding to your smoker every time you fire up your favorite RecTec smoker, Traeger, Pit Boss pellet grill or whatever you are using to smoke your favorite recipes.

Leave the pineapple top, or crown, intact for a show-stopping centerpiece for your next cookout. Remove the outer skin, or rind to allow the natural sugars of the ripe pineapple to be exposed to the smoke and take on a smoky flavor all while slowly concentrating their sweet pineapple flavor thanks to the lower smoking temperatures.

Here is why this recipe is amazing:

• With minimal additional work, you can have an amazing smoked pineapple as a side dish, dessert or snack to serve alongside your smoked meats.
• Switch the coating on the pineapple from nothing to brown sugar and cinnamon to tajin to a chai spice blend to whatever your culinary creativity will come up with.
• Being a graduate of Johnson & Wales University I have Chef friends in different culinary industries across the country. This is one of those recipes that is Chef inspired, but home cook happening.

Ingredients needed to smoke a pineapple:

The basic ingredients for a beautiful smoked pineapple is a ripe golden pineapple and a sharp knife. But there are many ways to switch up and play with flavor profiles with this easy smoker recipe.

Ingredient notes:

• Pineapple - a whole pineapple is used in this recipe. Choose a pineapple that is firm to the touch, yet ripe. Avoid a pineapple with blemishes.

Substitutions

I smoke a whole pineapple but if you are not able to find a whole pineapple near you, use canned pineapple rings or even fresh pineapple rings from the deli. Just be sure to drain the pineapple slices, and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid before adding any sugars, spices, or additional seasoning. 

Variations on the smoked pineapple recipe

Here are a few variations to a plain whole smoked pineapple. If this is your first time smoking a pineapple, I encourage you to start with the plain or naked version. Then move on to one of the following seasoning suggestions. These are just a few as I am sure there are as many variations as your mind can imagine.

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Smoked Pineapple

Combine ½ cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon. Coat the pineapple with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture before smoking.

Tajan Coated Smoked Pineapple

Use 3-4 tablespoons of Tajan to coat your pineapple before smoking. The amount of seasoning that is required will depend on the size of the pineapple and your seasoning preferences.

Fireball Soaked Smoked Pineapple

This is a variation that my Chef friend, Bill Twaler, C.E.C., told me about. I will make it next time I have a bottle of cinnamon whisky in the house. Soak your peeled pineapple in fireball whiskey or your other favorite cinnamon-flavored whiskey for 12-24 hours. I find that a zip-lock bag with the air removed works well when marinating.

Tequila and Lime Smoked Pineapple

Zest and juice 2 limes and add the zest and lime juice tequila to a zip-top bag, submerge a cut pineapple for 12-24 hours before smoking.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Sharp knife - I use a 8" or 10" long chef knife to remove the outside of the pineapple before smoking it. A straight blade is preferred versus a serrated knife.

Cutting board - when setting up your cutting board be sure to place a damp paper towel or wet cloth under the cutting board to ensure that the cutting board is unable to slide across the countertop surface.

How to make smoked pineapple

1. Leaving the pineapple top intact, if you choose, remove the outside of the pineapple but always leave the bottom of the pineapple attached.
2. If seasoning, cover the exposed fruit with your chosen seasoning.
3. Preheat your smoker to ultra-low, 180, whichever is the lowest.
4. Place the pineapple on the grill grates and smoke for 1 hour.
5. Raise the temperature to 250 and continue to smoke for an additional 3 hours or until your desired doneness.

Making smoked pineapple

How To Serve

There are so many ways to serve your amazing smoked pineapple! I serve slices alongside my smoked brisket, or chop it up to add it to coleslaw when I make my crock pot pulled pork sandwiches, dice up some to add to chipotle corn salsa, and most recently I have been adding it to my cuban pork tacos and next to smoked shotgun shells I have been known to add a slice to my ice water or even to a rum punch cocktail or two.

Chef Tip

If you are limited on space, don't have the height in your smoker or your smoker is already full, pineapples can fit nicely in a smoke box adjacent to your smoker.

Pineapples can be laid on their side to smoke, or the pineapple crowns can be removed to make more room. The choice is up to you.

FAQ's and Tips