Swineapple

Hello Everyone,

 

Have you seen the latest recipe craze on Facebook and Pinterest called Swineapple?  Since I'm going to be gone for a few days, I wanted to fix something special for Mr. Joe to eat while I'm away.  I haven't seen too much of him lately, and he's beginning to think that he's gone back to the life of a bachelor.

 

So here's the deal......you begin with a whole pineapple.  (Note to self.....next time make sure you don't have any paper cuts before you begin because the acid from the pineapple hurts like the dickens!)

 

You shave off the outside first.  Cut off the top and bottom.  Slice it down the middle, then cut out the inside of the pineapple.

The recipe calls for two pounds of boneless, country-style spareribs.  I ask you, how in the H-E-double toothpicks can you get two pounds of meat inside this tiny space?

I sprinkled the meat with some rib rub and garlic spices.  I also sprinkled it liberally with seasoned pepper.

Crammed.....I mean gently placed the meat onto half of the pineapple.  I then placed the other half on top, then wrapped the whole concoction in peppered, applewood smoked bacon.  The top and bottom of the pineapple are only in the picture to make it look attractive.

 

Sprinkle more seasoning on top, and it's ready for the oven.  Now this is where it gets a little dicey.  You are supposed to smoke this over mesquite wood for 4 to 5 hours in a smoker.  By my way of thinking, if it tastes good in the oven, it will taste GREAT on the smoker.  No matter what, we started salivating after it was in the oven for only 30 minutes at 325 degrees. (2-1/2 hours total cooking time.) You are supposed to spray it with apple juice every 30 minutes if it's in the smoker.  Since I didn't have any apple juice in the house, and I was too lazy tired to drive to the store after wrestling with it, I'm sprayed it with Cran-Apple juice whenever I thought about it.  Let me tell you it's hard not to think about it when you are breathing in just about the best aroma on the planet!

I first saw this recipe on Facebook.  Everyone, EVERYONE is re-posting the same exact pictures of it, but I haven't read if anyone but the author ever made it. That is why I documented my whole process.  Next time I would tie the whole thing together with string instead of using only toothpicks.  I had to do some repair work midway through the cooking.  The bacon shriveled up to almost nothing and I had to add more to cover the bald spots.

 

 

 

So how did it taste?? Mr. Joe is never, EVER going to forget he has a wife who shows her love for him by fixing Swineapple. (Of course he may go into cardiac arrest after eating the bacon.) We pigged out.  Oink, oink!  The combination of the pineapple, pork and bacon was wonderful.  I put a little of each on my fork and savored every mouthful.

 

Off to Marysville and Yuba City this morning for a guild lecture tonight and workshop tomorrow.  I'll be wearing eau de swineapple as my fragrance.

 

Soon,

Lynn

P.S. The recipe also suggested using boneless chicken thighs.  I'm going to try that next time on the smoker.  There would be much less grease.  If you make it with pork, make sure you place it on a rack.