Sweet and Spicy Apricot-Glazed Pork and Pineapple Kebabs Recipe

A spicy rub is paired with a sweet and smoky apricot glaze for these incredibly flavorful pork kebabs.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated May 01, 2024
Closeup of Sweet and Spicy Apricot-Glazed Pork and Pineapple Kebabs

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Why It Works

  • Brining the pork chops adds extra moisture to the meat, ensuring they stay juicy on the grill.
  • A hefty amount of cayenne pepper adds considerable heat to a seemingly simple rub.
  • An apricot glaze gives a sweet, fruity finish that contrasts with and balances out the spicy rub.
  • The sugary glaze is applied over indirect heat to prevent it from burning.

All month, we've been bringing you some of our favorite kebab recipes. The best news? Once you've got the grilled kebab fundamentals down pat, the options are just shy of infinite.

Today, I'm applying some of my barbecue know-how to my kebab-making: specifically, the art of the spice rub and glaze. I started this recipe with pork chops, which I brine first to keep the meat especially moist and juicy. Once the pork has soaked for at least 30 minutes, I pat it dry and cut it into cubes.

Then I toss the pork cubes in a basic barbecue-style spice rub, using cayenne to deliver a nice kick of heat, before threading it onto skewers with chunks of pineapple.

At the grill, I sear the kebabs over high heat and then move them over to cooler side, where I brush on a sweet apricot glaze flavored with honey, rice vinegar, and smoky chipotle peppers. By layering first with the rub and then with the glaze, I was able to produce really nuanced, deep flavors: the kebabs may look simple and straightforward, but they taste incredibly complex, mingling the rub's earthy and spicy profile with the sweet, fruity sauce.

July 2014

Recipe Details

Sweet and Spicy Apricot-Glazed Pork and Pineapple Kebabs Recipe

Prep 15 mins
Cook 50 mins
Active 60 mins
Brining Time 30 mins
Total 95 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Brined Pork Chops:

  • 2 quarts ice cold water

  • 1/3 cup kosher salt

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 2 pounds (1 1/2-inch thick) center-cut pork chops

For the Rub:

  • 1 tablespoon paprika

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

For the Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup apricot preserves

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo

  • 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

Directions

  1. For the Brined Pork Chops: In a large bowl, whisk together water, salt, and sugar until solids are dissolved. Place pork chops in brine and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

    Boneless pork chops are submerged in a brine.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  2. For the Rub: In a small bowl, mix together paprika, salt, black pepper, sugar, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. Set aside.

    Closeup of the finished rub mixture.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  3. To make the glaze: In a small saucepan, whisk together apricot preserves, honey, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, and chipotle chiles. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

    Overhead view of the glaze being whisked together in a saucepan.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  4. Remove pork chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cut pork into 1 1/2-inch cubes, trimming any large pieces of excess fat. Coat pork cubes liberally with spice rub.

    Closeup of the rub-coated pork cubes in a zip-top bag.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  5. Thread pork onto skewers, alternating with pineapple cubes.

    The assembled pork-pineapple skewers piled in a baking dish, ready to be grilled.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  6. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Grill skewers over direct heat until pork is well seared on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

    Closeup of the skewers getting charred on a grill.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  7. Move skewers to cool side of grill and brush with glaze all over. Cover grill and continue to cook until center of pork registers 140° to 145°F (60° to 63°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer skewers to a serving tray and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

    Closeup of the skewers being brushed with the apricot glaze.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Special Equipment

Grill, chimney starter, wooden skewers (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use), instant-read thermometer

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
397Calories
13gFat
41gCarbs
30gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories397
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g17%
Saturated Fat 4g20%
Cholesterol 95mg32%
Sodium 936mg41%
Total Carbohydrate 41g15%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 32g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 32mg162%
Calcium 62mg5%
Iron 2mg10%
Potassium 561mg12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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