Grilled Smoked Sausage, Pineapple & Pepper Skewers

“What a long strange trip it’s been” – Grateful Dead

What can I say about 2020 thus far that hasn’t already been said? Surreal. Stressful. Life altering.  All the above?

In the midst of it all, and stuck at home, many turned to cooking and gardening as sources of comfort.  Which honestly, we’ve been doing now for close to 30 years.  Yet I never thought I would see the day when flour was hard to come by and seed catalogs were sold out of inventory!

With a slight return to normalcy now in the Chicagoland area, summer in high gear, and my backyard filled with flowers, buzzing bees and cicadas…almost every night is grill night. Right now, skewers are my go dinner option for busy weeknights and I love love LOVE these smoked sausage, pineapple, pepper skewers basted with a savory pineapple bbq sauce

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These take just minutes to assemble with smoky sausages (if you’re from Chicago, that means smoked Polska Kielbasa)Sweet bell peppers, fresh pineapple and red onions

Glazed with a pineapple bbq sauce and served with additional sauce for dipping. As easy as whisking in some pineapple juice to your favorite bbq sauce. Or, look for tropical bbq sauces at the store, such as Sweet Baby Ray’s Hawaiian BBQ Sauce or if you happen to live in the Chicagoland area, Bartolini’s in Midlothian sells their amazing Pineapple Bourbon Chipotle BBQ Sauce locally.

Perfect for a large gathering…you can easily assemble these ahead of time.  Also consider making a “kid friendly” version with hot dogs!

Until next time, stay cool and most of all, be safe and healthy ❤

Grilled Smoked Sausage, Pineapple and Pepper Skewers

• 14-16 oz Smoked (fully cooked) Sausages (such as Kielbasa)
• 1 each: green, red and orange sweet bell peppers
• 1/2 of a large, fresh pineapple
• 1 small red onion
• 3/4 cup bbq sauce
• 5 TBS pineapple juice (see Note)
• Metal or wooden skewers

Slice sausages about 1-inch thick.  Seed peppers and coarsely dice into approximately 1 1/2-inch squares.  Core pineapple and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.  Thread onto skewers.

In a small bowl, combine bbq sauce and pineapple juice.  Reserve about 1/3 of a cup for dipping and set aside.  Brush about half of the remaining sauce evenly onto the skewers and place on a hot grill, turning and basting for about 10 minutes, or until slightly charred.

Serve with a side of steamed rice and extra sauce for dipping!

Serves 4

NOTE> If you can find pineapple bbq sauce in your neck of the woods, no need to add additional pineapple juice.  Just use it straight out of the jar.  Happy grilling!