What is this hearsay and crazy talk!!? If you like pineapple, then you are in the right place. I love me some pineapple and meat seems like the logical choice. Follow along and I will show you how to cook meat inside of a pineapple. As a bonus I will show you how to cook chicken in a bell pepper and make a cheater pineapple salsa!
What you will need
- A fresh pineapple
- Meat of your choosing ( I cooked with chicken that was marinated in sweet chili)
- A fresh bell pepper
- A pineapple corer (These can be found at pretty much any grocery store and they are very easy to find)
- A heat source ( I used an electric smoker, but I am sure an oven or charcoal pit will yield simiular results)
- A reliable timer!
Step 1: Let's Prep the Pineapple!
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Chop the leafy parts of the pineapple off. These could burn up during cooking and smell nasty. Cut the top off as level as you can. Use the pineapple coring tool to hollow out the pineapple. Put the tool next to the pineapple to see how deep you need to go without going all the way through. Make a mark or put a little piece of tape on the tool so you know where to stop. It is the same concept as marking a bit on a drill press. Get the tool centered up and apply pressure while turning and this should cut down smoothly. When you reach the desired depth, then pull the tool up along with the spiral cut pineapple. Save theses for later steps. Also drink the juice, doesn't get better than that.
Step 2: Bell Pepper Chop and Meat Layers
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I took a bell pepper and cut it in half. I took one of the halves and set it aside. I chopped up half of the bell pepper into small pieces. I place a small handful in the bottom of the pineapple. I took the chicken that had been marinating in sweet chili sauce and placed in the pineapple on top of the chicken. I repeated the process until the pineapple was full. I took the top that I cut off earlier and used toothpicks to secure it back on the pineapple to contain everything.
Step 3: Make The Heat Happen
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I cooked this pineapple while I was cooking this other instructable here. Wild Hog Rack O' Ribs
I used an electric smoker set to 375 degrees. I just placed the stuffed pineapple on a stable part of the smoker and walked away. The pineapple cooked for about 2 to 3 hours. When the pineapple starts seeping juice, then you know it will be ready to take off the oven.
Step 4: Cool Down and Shred
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I let the pineapple cool down for an hour before taking the lid off. I used two long forks to shred the chicken. I am from Texas, so it is taco time! I warmed up corn tortillas and placed the chicken, avocado, on pineapple salsa on them. The tacos went very well with the coleslaw and yellow rice that I prepared. Next time I want to try skirt steak. I recommend that you get a tougher cut of meat since pineapples have enzymes that naturally break down meat. This gives your meat a nice flavor and my family really enjoyed the meal. Let me know if you make this and you did something different that worked out better for you. You never know what you might like unless you try it.
I hope you enjoyed this Instructable. If you would like to follow more of what I do, then check out my website www.CurtosNoir.com to keep up with all that I do. Cheers
Step 5: Bonus Step #1 Bell Pepper Chicken
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I had half a bell pepper and a chicken breast left over. I placed the chicken breast in the bell pepper along with some pineapple slices. I wrapped the entire concoction in foil to be cooked with the pineapple. This keeps all of the juices in and keeps everything nice and moist. This will cook within an hour.
Step 6: Bonus Step #2 Cheater Pineapple Salsa
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The first step to this....buy breakfast tacos the morning that you are planning on cooking. Take all of the left over salsa and dump it all into a ramekin. Chop up left over pineapple bits and add to the ramekin of salsa. Mix around and refrigerate until needed.