They’re sweet and savory and a meal on a stick. They’re fun to look at and they’re fun to eat. The pineapple pulls in the sweet. It’s marinated in melted butter and honey and it marries beautifully with the savory meat and veggies. Kabobs are a fun way to barbecue just about anything during the summer and you can mix up your meat and veggies however you’d like. I do try to limit my processed meats. We all know they’re not the best for you, but I am a Polish girl, and I do love my kielbasa. Life is short. All things in moderation. I bought this lovely Hunter kielbasa at our local farmers market last week, and this was the perfect way to enjoy an extra special treat. You could always use chicken sausage or any other lean meat as an alternative.

I can’t post about this without mentioning my husband and pineapple. He’s never liked it, yet after trying this he was blown away by how it was prepared. It piqued his curiosity to where he actually tried it and really liked it. It was funny because as we were plating he told me, “You can have all my pineapple.” But after trying a bite, guess what? He was totally surprised. The buttery honey marinade made all the difference in the world to where he quickly changed his mind, “I was going to give you my pineapple, but I like it.” He ate every bite. This is one thing I love doing with food, introducing different ways to prepare it that make enough of a difference for someone to want to try it and then actually end up liking it. To see my husband eating pineapple was quite a treat, for both him and me. The marinade cuts down the acidity and gives it a candied finish. Score! Now I’ve converted him to both eggplant and pineapple. I wonder what will be next?

Recipe for Sweet and Savory Kielbasa Kabobs:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted (real butter, no imitation)

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

• Sea salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into 1 inch pieces

• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced into 1 inch pieces

• 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces

• 1 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced into ½ inch slices

Directions:
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 15-30 minutes.  Metal is preferred if you have them.

Preheat grill to high heat.

In a small bowl, whisk butter, honey, and a dash of salt.  Put pineapple in a Ziplock bag. Pour honey butter mixture over it. Seal bag and shake to coat evenly to marinate while you prepare the rest.  Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together: olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Add red peppers, orange bell peppers and onion and toss to coat well.    

Thread skewers alternately with kielbasa, pineapple, red pepper, orange pepper, and onion. 

Turn grill down to medium heat.  Grill kabobs covered for 5 minutes.  Flip and grill another 5 minutes covered or until grill marks are pronounced.  Season kabobs with salt and pepper if desired before serving.