Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops and Awards

Fresh pineapple is my favorite sweet, sunny fruit and always reminds me of the pineapple plantations we saw in Hawaii ~ not to mention the Pacific Ocean, beaches, palm trees and Hilo Hattie.

During Colonial days, the striking visual attractiveness, the rarity and the expense of the pineapple made it the ultimate exotic fruit.  It was served only on special occasions and quickly became a symbol of hospitality.  

This recipe is from our local newspaper, The Northwest Herald.  It combines the jerk seasoning with pork chops and pineapple.  In Jamaica, the jerk method of cooking involves seasoning meat with a sweet-hot secret mixture of peppers, spices and herbs, then slowly cooking them.  The blend of allspice and thyme in this recipe captures the taste of the islands perfectly.

Its Jamaican jerk, made with thick, juicy pork and succulent fruit.  Pineapple has a meatier side and if you like flavorful dishes, this sweet and savory dish is for you! 

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops 

Ingredients: 

1 small pineapple 

1 bunch scallions, sliced cross-wise into 1-inch pieces 

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded 

2 teaspoons dried thyme 

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 

1½ teaspoons ground allspice 

4 bone-in pork chops 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

2 teaspoons olive oil 

Method: 

Cut four ½-inch-thick rounds from pineapple; set aside. 

Cut remaining pineapple into large chunks, discarding core. 

In a food processor, combine pineapple chunks, scallions

chile, thyme, garlic and allspice and pulse until coarsel

chopped. 

Reserve ¾ cup pineapple marinade and refrigerate. 

Season pork with salt and pepper and place in a 9-by-13-inch

glass baking dish along with pineapple rounds. 

Top pork and pineapple with remaining pineapple marinade 

and turn pork and pineapple to coat. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 4 hours). 

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over

medium-high. 

Working in two batches, brush pineapple mixture off pork 

and cook chops until browned and cooked through, about 20

minutes per batch, flipping once. 

Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. 

Brush pineapple marinade off pineapple and cook rounds

until golden brown in spots, about 5 to 7 minutes, flipping

once. 

Serve with pork and reserved pineapple marinade. 

It’s tropically delicious!!!

Now it’s award time:  Times flies and a while back my Cajun friend, Marguerite at Cajun Delights, presented me with these 8 awards.  I thank Marguerite and am honored that she chose my blog.  Marguerite not only posts great Cajun recipes, she has music and dancing videos also.  If her blog is new to you, you should check it out!  

I am supposed to pass these 8 awards rolled into one off to 15 of my favorite foodie bloggers.  So I am going to pass them on to these great people who inspire me with their winning recipes, and writing, and who are supportive of me with their comments.  Here they are, in no particular order: 

Martha @seasidesimplicity 

Betty @scrambledhenfruit 

Larry @bigdudesramblings 

Kathy @thesugarqueenbakes 

Lynda  @lyndasrecipebox 

Biren @rotinrice 

Rita @sagecuisine 

Judy @atastythought 

Lyndsey @tinyskillet 

Kristy @kristygourmet 

Jeannie @chinadoll-bakingdairy 

Claudia @pegasuslegend-whatscookin 

Carol @theresalwaysthyme 

Linda @mykindofcooking 

Dave @bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces 


Please visit them all and let them know I sent you!  Thanks for stopping here, and have a wonderful day!