Grilled Pork-and-Pineapple Kabobs with Scallions

Grilled Pork-and-Pineapple Kabobs with Scallions

from The Garden Entertaining Cookbook by Barbara Scott-Goodman & Mary Goodbody

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
Juice of 3 limes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 to 4 scallions, roughly chopped
2 1/2 pounds trimmed boned pork loin or butt, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
One 3 3/4- to 4 1/4 pound fresh pineapple
12 large scallions, trimmed
Olive oil for brushing

Serves 6

While few gardens produce fresh pineapples, the duo of pork and pineapples is so good we could not resist these simple, grilled kabobs. Here, we suggest serving them alongside grilled scallions, although grilled red or yellow peppers would be delicious, too. We like our pineapple nicely charred, but you may want to load a few skewers with meat and others with pineapple so that you can grill the pineapple for only eight to 10 minutes.

1. In a large, glass or ceramic bowl, mix together the pineapple juice, time juice, olive oil, and brown sugar. Add the scallions and stir to mix. Add the pork, toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 and up to 12 hours, stirring several times during soaking.

2. Trim the leaves off the pineapple. Hold the pineapple upright on a cutting board and slice the skin off the fruit. Slice the peeled fruit in half and cut out the core. Cut the fruit into 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks. You will have about 4 cups of cubes, or about 18 cubes.

3. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. First spray the grill rack with vegetable oil spray to prevent sticking. The coals should be moderately hot, and if charcoal, covered with a thin coating of gray ash and glowing red.

4. Thread the pork and pineapple chunks on six 12-inch skewers, beginning and ending with chunks of pork. Each skewer should have approximately 6 cubes of meat and 3 cubes of pineapple. Discard the marinade.

5. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes, turning several times, or until the meat reaches the desired degree of doneness and the pineapple is lightly charred. To check for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into a thick piece of meat. The thermometer should register 155°F or slightly higher.

6. Meanwhile, lay the scallions on the outer edges of the grill. Brush them lightly with olive oil and grill for about 5 minutes, turning with tongs until charred.

7. Remove the pork and pineapple from the skewers and serve with the scallions.

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in
Barbara Scott-Goodman & Mary Goodbody's The Garden Entertaining Cookbook from Chronicle Books