Bacon Pineapple Chicken Skewers with Asian Orange Glaze

Nothing like coming home from a long day at work...or a 7 hour road trip...and still having time to grill a good meal. Burgers? Nope. Almost just as easy, yet just a little more interesting was what I had in mind. 
 
I knew we already had the ingredients for a good shish-kabab. There was a fresh pineapple that had been intended for another dinner on the counter NEEDING to be used and there was bacon in the fridge (just between you and me, there is ALWAYS bacon in the fridge!). Eternally versatile and endlessly adaptable, boneless chicken breast was the third choice for a light and satisfying, threaded-onto-wooden-skewers summer evening dinner on the deck.

(Entertaining a few friends? You could whip these up on smaller skewers as an appetizer, too.)
 
Once the kabobs were cooked through on the grill, a quick baste of an orange marmalade, garlic, soy sauce and cayenne pepper mixture added a nice zippy accent that glazed them to picture perfection. 

All that was left was to plate the skewers on a bed of Romaine lettuce, add a drizzle of extra glaze whisked with a little champagne vinegar as a dressing and our Bacon Pineapple Chicken Skewers made a lovely and light meal for one weary traveler. 

Easy clean-up, too! At least it was easy when the hubby cleaned up the kitchen while I relaxed the miles off my weary-from-the-driver's-seat tush. Thanks!

 Bacon Pineapple Chicken Skewers 

with Asian Orange Glaze

Serves 4 as an entree, 6-8 as appetizers

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
• 10 slices bacon, cooked slightly, don't let it crisp!

• 6 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce (wheat-free tamari to make this GF or regular soy sauce if gluten isn't an issue for you)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to your taste - you know I like more!
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic

Soak 10 wooden skewers for at least an hour in water - add salt to the water to help season the chicken and pineapple from the inside out! I used 4" appetizer size skewers.

Ready for the glaze, a close up view of the alternating assembly.         Easy...you can do it!

 

Skewers Assembly: When the skewers are ready, thread a chicken cube, then an end of the bacon, a pineapple cube, fold the bacon back and skewer again, then the chicken, fold the bacon over, the pineapple...you get the idea. Just keep alternating chicken and pineapple and weaving the bacon back and forth until the skewer is full. Set aside.
 

Glaze: Mix the marmalade, tamari, cayenne and granulated garlic well. Set aside.
 

Preheat the grill and grill the skewers over a slow heat turning occasionally until the chicken is cook through on all sides. Once they are done, baste the glaze on one side and turn. Let them grill until the glaze is set on the first side, turn again and set the glaze on the second side. Remove to a clean plate and serve.
 

NOTE: You can mix up another batch of the glaze, add a tablespoon of champagne or rice wine vinegar to it, stir and there you have a dipping sauce for the kebabs. Do NOT use the glaze leftover from basting the skewers because they will be contaminated with raw chicken from basting.

Peach Jalapeno Smoked Rack of Pork

In my neverending quest to learn the fine art/craft of smoking pretty much on my own (with some precious tips from Greg Blanton down in the fine state of Georgia), Mark and I set out to experiment with the peach chips recently bought at Cabela's. The orange chicken we smoked last weekend was a rousing success...would the peach pork work as well? Not going to keep you in suspense here, the peachy pork was just, well, peachy! 

When it comes to the chips, I really don't think the peach chips added anything to the flavor that apple or cherry or pecan wouldn't contribute. In teaching ourselves, one of the things we're learning is that the type of wood doesn't necessarily impart the flavor of what the tree produces. Peach doesn't impart a peach flavor, apple doesn't lend a true apple-y essence to the protein on the smoker. 

Wood simply (in my opinion) imparts a smokey flavor - some woods produce a stronger smoke flavor (mesquite/hickory) and some milder and sweeter (apple/pecan). It is the marinade and/or rub and/or glaze that truly determines any flavor that isn't smoke.

This recipe really layers the flavors. The first layer was a good garlic/jalapeno rub, the second a tenderizing peach, garlic and vinegar marinade, the third was the smoke of peach wood and fourth was a peach and jalapeno echo of a rich, sweet finishing glaze. 

To help get the flavors ALL through the roast, I pierced the pork all over with a small sharp knife to insure the marinade got into every nook and cranny and then let it laze for a few hours...kind of like a meat hot tub only cool and comfy. Nothing like pampering your pork before it gets all hot and bothered on the smoker! (Did I just say that?!)

A few pitted, fresh peach halves, onions, jalapenos and garlic were scattered around the roast for about an hour to impart some smokey goodness to them before turning them into a chunky sauce that's kind of a cross between a spicy chutney and a good peach salsa. With the addition of a little vinegar, honey and mustard to accent the sweet heat aspect of the dish even more, I call it Peach Jalapeno Chut-Salsa.

A final step of glazing the roast during the last half hour turned it into a gleaming beauty of a hunk of meat just waiting for its close up! Was this labor intensive? Yes. Was it worth it? YES! Even though it is more time consuming than most Sunday dinners, everything was done in steps throughout the day so it really wasn't bad at all time-wise.

Tender, juicy and smoky

The schedule went something like this: the meat went into the marinade and the chips started soaking early. They did their thing while we brunched and watched CBS Sunday Morning. (It's a Sunday ritual at our house.)

When the show was over, Mark got the smoker going while I prepped the peaches and veggies. The pork went on the smoker by 11:30 a.m. and everything was done by 4:30 p.m. 

In between, laundry, cleaning, making the rub and peach glaze, some shopping, putting together the salsa/chutney, a little yardwork and some neighborhood socializing, it all made for a relaxing, yet productive, day. In fact, one might just call it one peach of a day!

Peachy Jalapeno Smoked Rack of Pork 

with Peach Chut-salsa

• 2 pounds pork roast, a 4-rib rack of pork

Rub: 

• 1 1/2 jalapenos, leave seeds & ribs in for lots of heat, remove them for less heat - cut into 1/2" pieces
• 7 large garlic cloves, paper skins removed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder

Marinade:

• 2 cups peach nectar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic

Glaze:

• 1 peach, pitted
• 2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Chut-Salsa:

• 3 peaches, cut in half, stones removed
• 1 medium onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 jalapenos, whole
• 4 cloves garlic, whole, left in skins
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard

Using a small, sharp knife, deeply pierce roast on all sides. Massage the rub into all the cuts, using all the rub, all over. When it is thoroughly covered, carefully put the roast into the ziptop bag that contains the prepared marinade. Refrigerate for 3 hours, remove from fridge and let it marinate another hour at room temp. 

Prepare smoker as you normally would using peach wood - if you can find it. I really don't think it makes a difference. Feel free to use apple, hickory or your own favorite variety. 

Once the smoker is ready to roll, put the roast on bone side down. Smoke the roast for about 2 hours before putting the peaches and veggies on. Let those smoke for about an hour, remove and let the roast continue to smoke for another 1-2 hours. 

The length of time it takes to smoke depends on your smoker. You know your smoker best, so use your own best educated smoking judgment for when it will be done to your own taste.

Glaze about 1/2 an hour before removing from smoker. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
 
Rub: Put the 7 garlic cloves, kosher salt & granulated onion into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
 
Marinade: In a large ziptop bag, add peach nectar, 1/4 c. cider vinegar, 1 T granulated onion and 1 T granulated garlic. Set aside.
 
Glaze: Add the pitted peach WITH the skin on, 2 T mustard, 1 T vinegar, 1/4 C honey and Kosher salt to the food processor. Process until pureed. Add additional honey to desired consistency.
 
Chut-salsa: Finely dice the smoked peaches and veggies and add to a medium bowl. Add 2 T honey, 2 T red wine vinegar, 1 T Kosher salt and 1 T stoneground mustard. Mix well and serve as a condiment atop slices of pork.