Grilling guru Steven Raichlen cooks up some unexpected barbecue dishes, including grilled eggs, nori (seaweed,) Caesar salad, grilled ice cream and cooking in the embers. Raichlen is the best-selling author of The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition and How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques, as well BBQ USA: 425 Fiery Recipes from All Across America. He also offers classes through his Barbecue University grilling school.
Spit-roasted Pineapple with Cinnamon, Sugar and Cloves
Serves 4 to 8
1 ripe pineapple
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Vanilla or crème brulee ice cream
1 bunch fresh mint
1. Cut off the leafy top of the pineapple, then carefully cut off the rind. Using a sharp knife, make a series of spiral cuts to remove the eyes.
2. Place the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves, if using, in a bowl and stir to mix.
3. Set up the grill for spit-roasting following the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat the grill as hot as it will get.
4. Thread the pineapple onto the rotisserie spit crosswise so the spit passes through the middle of the fruit and the ends will be closest to the fire. Working over a tray or sheet pan, sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar on all sides and the ends of the pineapple, crusting it as thickly and as evenly as possible. You’ll use about half of the cinnamon sugar.
5. When ready to cook, attach the spit to the rotisserie mechanism and turn on the motor. Spit-roast the pineapple until it is darkly browned on the outside. This can take as little as 10 minutes or as long as 20 depending on how hot your fire is. (I suggest doing this on a charcoal-burning rotisserie, which gets hotter than a gas one. Keep the grill covered, which will make it hotter, still.) Halfway through spit-roasting, brush the pineapple with the melted butter and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over it.
6. Take the pineapple to the table on the spit on a cutting board. Remove the spit and slice the pineapple crosswise. Serve the hot pineapple with ice cream and a sprig of fresh mint.
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