It’s never a bad thing when sweet meets sour, and the off-the-grill smokiness here brings the combo to a whole new level.
Cajun Drumsticks with Spicy Grilled Pineapple
A sweet and sour grill-up of cajun-spiced drumsticks and spicy pineapple.
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 1 red chili pepper seeded and chopped
- 2 tbsp packed cane sugar or brown sugar divided
- 2 tsp paprika divided
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat barbecue to medium. Peel and halve pineapple into 6 ½-inch thick slices. Place chili pepper, 5 tsp of the sugar and 1 tsp of the paprika in mortar and pestle; grind until fine. Sprinkle over and press on pineapple slices and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place chicken in a large resealable bag. Finely grind remaining 1 tsp sugar, salt, oregano, garlic, thyme and cayenne in mortar and pestle. Sprinkle mixture over chicken; seal bag and massage onto drumsticks. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Remove drumsticks to a baking sheet and brush with all but 2 tsp of the oil. Grill chicken, covered on a greased grill, flipping every 8 minutes, until juices run clear when thickest part is pierced, about 20 minutes.
- Brush pineapple with remaining 2 tsp oil. Grill until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Serve drumsticks with pineapple and torn cilantro.
