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Peppered Pineapple on the Griddle or Grill: A Bold Twist on Dessert

April 8, 2025

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(Recipe below) In The Barbecue Bible, I brushed it with melted butter, crusted it with cinnamon sugar, then seared it over a screaming hot fire. In How to Grill, I replaced the butter with coconut milk. In Project Fire, I took the coconut theme one step further, crusting the pineapple with shredded coconut and flambeeing it with rum.

How to Make Peppered Pineapple on the Griddle

So how does grilled pineapple translate to the griddle? I’m pleased to report it’s an absolute triumph. Griddling delivers the same smoky-sweet caramelization, the same candy-like crust, the same succulent flesh—with considerably less risk of flare-ups. In the following recipe, black pepper cranks up the heat, while mezcal adds the smoke.

You don’t normally associate black pepper with fruit, but its pungent heat pairs perfectly with brassy acidity of pineapple. (The black specks look cool, too, and you should never underestimate the importance of looking cool.)

Counterpointing the heat is homemade whipped cream—appropriately flavored with mezcal—tequila’s smoky brother, made with fire-roasted cactus hearts.

Put it all together and you get a dessert that’s familiar, yet surprising and other worldly. And when you think about, isn’t surprise the secret ingredient in our most alluring desserts?

Note: Don’t have a griddle? Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat it as hot as it will go. Clean and oil the grate well before adding the peppered pineapple slices. Grill over high heat until both sides are sizzling and darkly browned, 2 to 4 minutes, turning with a spatula.

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