Grilling season is in full swing! Sure, you’ve probably already tried grilled pineapple, but what about grilled SWINEapple? You read that correctly: Stuff a pineapple to the brim with pulled pork & shredded mozzarella, wrap it up in bacon, and pop the whole thing on the grill next to some corn on the cob for a meal that’s spicy, savory, and sweet. Yes, please! Break out this recipe at your next cookout and your guests are sure to be jealous that they didn’t think of the idea first.
Pulled Pork Swineapple
Grilling season is in full swing! Sure, you've probably already tried grilled pineapple, but what about grilled SWINEapple? You read that correctly: Stuff a pineapple to the brim with pulled pork & shredded mozzarella, wrap it up in bacon, and pop the whole thing on the grill next to some corn on the cob for a meal that's spicy, savory, and sweet. Yes, please! Break out this recipe at your next cookout and your guests are sure to be jealous that they didn't think of the idea first.
Equipment
- Grill
- Dutch oven
- cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 8 slices bacon
- 3 lb pork shoulder
- 1 pineapple puree from 1 pineapple
- 14 oz Coca-Cola
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups tomato sauce
Instructions
- Cut the top off of the pineapple and use an immersion blender to puree the pulp inside of the pineapple.
- Stick several toothpicks in the surface of the pork and place the meat in a large bowl. Pour the pineapple puree from inside the pineapple over the pork, add the Coca-Cola, ginger, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar to the bowl, and swirl the bowl around to combine the ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the pork marinate for max 1 hour.
- Remove the pork shoulder from the bowl and set the marinade aside for later. Remove the toothpicks from the pork shoulder and sear the meat over direct heat on a hot grill. Put the seared pork shoulder in a Dutch oven, place the Dutch oven on the grill, and cook over indirect heat for 3-4 hours, until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 195°F.
- Pour the leftover marinade into a cast iron skillet and place the skillet on the grill. Let the marinade simmer until it achieves a syrupy consistency and then stir in the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Let the sauce cook until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Place the cooked pork shoulder in a large casserole dish and pour ¾ of the homemade BBQ sauce over the meat. Use your hands to shred the meat and mix it with the sauce.
- Cut the skin off of the hollowed-out pineapple and fill the inside with alternating layers of BBQ pulled pork and shredded mozzarella.
- Wrap bacon strips around the outside of the pineapple and place the pineapple lid back on top. Arrange the BBQ charcoals in the grill in a circle, put the grill grate back in place, and place the pineapple on top of the grill grate in the middle of the grill. Brush the remaining BBQ sauce over the bacon slices around the swineapple and cook for about 15 minutes.
