This Smoked Pineapple with brown sugar rub is great for both sweet desserts and as a side for your favorite smoked proteins.
You can smoke a half pineapple, pineapple chunks or sliced pineapple which is our favorite. You get more of the rub and more caramelization on the fruit.
With just 4 basic ingredients, it couldn’t be easier either.
What you need
- pineapple – use a fresh, ripe pineapple for best flavor. You could use canned pineapple rings but it just won’t be the same. You can also halve the pineapple or use pineapple slices or pineapple spears. They will all work. We like the slices or spears because there is more surface area to place the flavorful rub.
- brown sugar – we like dark brown sugar but light brown sugar will work as well.
- salt – we use kosher salt or sea salt
- cayenne powder or garlic powder.
If you’d like to add an additional sweet note, feel free to add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or even a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to the recipe. If you want to kick it up a notch, try brushing the slices with tequila, bourbon or rum
How to choose a ripe pineapple
When you go into a grocery store there is a huge pile of green pineapples. These pineapple that are totally green are immature and not ripe. Sort through the pile and look for fruit that has some yellow on it.
Once you find a couple yellow fruit, test them by gently pulling on the center- most “leaves” on the top of the pineapple. This leaf should pull out very easily.
If you can’t find any ripe fruit, place the most ripe one you can find into a large brown paper bag. Close the bag and let the fruit sit on the counter for 2-7 days. Check it daily.
Once it’s ripe, you should see mostly yellow and some brown skin and it should smell very sweet.
How to make it
Step One
Add rub ingredients to a small bowl.
Step Two
Mix together well.
Step Three
Cut the top off using a sharp chef’s knife. Stand pineapple up on board and slice down to remove all of the outer skin.
With a sharp paring knife, cut out any of the sharp “eyes”.
Step Four
Turn pineapple on it’s side.
Slice 1-2 inch thick slices.
Leave the core in the center for now.
Step Five
Rub the dry rub on one side. Let it soak in for about 10 minutes.
Flip the slices over and repeat with the second side.
Set up smoker using wood chips or pellets for a pellet smoker like our Pit Boss pellet grill / smoker.
Place the pineapple slices directly on the rack of the smoker so they get nice grill lines. Smoke at 250°F /120°C for 30 minutes.
Flip and continue to smoke another 30 minutes.
Once they are done, you can cut the fibrous centers out with a biscuit cutter, if desired.
What wood to use
We like a mild wood again for fruit. The fruit woods are great. Apple, cherry, pecan, alder, maple will all work. Even oak, hickory or mesquite will work depending on the flavor profile you are going for.
What if I don’t own a smoker?
If you don’t own a smoker, you can still enjoy smoked meats. You can use your grill to smoke. Set up your grill so that the fire is only on one side. You will place the meat or vegetable on the side of the grill that does not have the direct flame (indirect heat). This is called indirect cooking.
Add soaked wood to a metal tray (we use a disposable foil pie plate or bread pan). Add another metal tray with water. Place water and wood chips on the side of the grill with the fire. Remember to fill the water if it runs out.
You can also create a similar setup for your oven in a pinch or in the winter.
How to use smoked pineapple
We like to serve smoked fruit as a side dish to go with our main dish that we are smoking. In this case we served it with our Whole Smoked Chicken. It is the perfect accompaniment to our tender, juicy chicken.
It would also be great with pork or fish as a main dish.
Try making a different dessert. Make a smoked pineapple upside down cake, the smoky flavor is incredible.
Serve it with pudding or vanilla ice cream for a perfect summer dessert.
More smoked recipes
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Smoked Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
Instructions
- Add rub ingredients to a small bowl. Mix well.2 tablespoons brown sugar, ⅛ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sea salt, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
- Cut the top off using a sharp chef’s knife. Stand pineapple up on board and slice down to remove all of the outer skin.With a sharp paring knife, cut out any of the sharp “eyes”.1 pineapple
- Turn pineapple on it’s side. Slice 1-2 inch thick slices. Leave the core in the center for now so the pieces don't break.
- Rub the dry rub on one side. Let it soak in for about 10 minutes. Flip the slices over and repeat with the second side.
- Set up smoker using wood chips or pellets for a pellet smoker like our Pit Boss pellet grill / smoker. Place the pineapple slices directly on the rack of the smoker so they get nice grill lines. Smoke at 250°F /120°C for 30 minutes. Flip and continue to smoke another 30 minutes.Once they are done, you can cut the fibrous center out with a biscuit cutter, if desired.
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Originally published September 2, 2022
Lisa
Wow! This smoked pineapple is killer. I just made it to go with a smoked pork butt and it was an incredible combination. Thanks!
Beth Neels
I’m so glad you like it Lisa! Thanks for letting me know.