Bacon Wrapped Pineapple and Kielbasa Skewers
A Tropical Sausage Snack
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple and Kielbasa Skewers feature tender bites of bacon wrapped pineapple with a smokey slice of kielbasa for a sweet and savory treat. They’re topped with a sprinkle of brown sugar, black pepper, chili powder, and garlic salt then glazed with a maple mustard sauce just as they come out of the oven for one of the best finger foods you’ll ever eat.
I have been perusing old cookbooks once again and love the “exotic recipes” I keep finding that boast “Hawaiian Flair.” Most of the recipes combine some sort of bacon and pineapple combination.
I suspect Dole may have sponsored a lot of these recipes, but truth be told, they have all been delicious.
A few months back I made these Open Faced Hawaiian Toasts, that were shockingly great! The idea of these skewers was born from the original idea of those sandwiches.
Give both a try for a retro style luau party.
Helpful Information AND A Recipe Card
There is a printable recipe card at the end of this post. You can save this recipe card, print it, or pin it to your Pinterest page.
You can also switch on the “hands free mode” to keep the recipe card open on your device while cooking. Before the recipe card I have included a few paragraphs that can help those who may need more clarification on the recipes.
Use Your Kielbasa
The recipe card is pretty self explanatory. The pineapple is wrapped in the bacon and then it is skewered.
You may have some slight trouble keeping the bacon wrapped tightly around the pineapple. You can use the slice of kielbasa to secure the bacon to the pineapple, sort of like a little smoked kielbasa cap.
You’ll also want to be sure to use sturdy toothpicks. There’s a variety you can find on Amazon that I like. I have a sandwich recipe coming up that also uses them so I think they’re worth the buy.
*Note that is an affiliate link, so if you get the toothpicks through it I get a small commission but it costs you nothing extra.*
Very Simple Ingredients
This recipe does not require a ton of ingredients other than bacon, kielbasa, and some pineapple. You are welcome to use fresh pineapple that you can slice yourself or you can use canned or buy the fresh cut fruit from the grocery store.
Make it easy on yourself and this recipe will taste even better.
A Little Bit Of Time
While this recipe is very simple, it does take a little bit of time to wrap the pineapple and put all the components on the skewers. I highly recommend setting yourself up with a work station and working in batches.
Have your pineapple ready, have the bacon cut, and the kielbasa sliced and set up a little station with your skewers and the baking pan. This is how I recommend doing any kind of cooking that takes some sort of assembly.
Give Each Skewer Attention
When it comes to seasoning the skewers, be sure to take a little extra time to sprinkle the seasonings on each individual skewer. They will come out so much better this way.
I also take a couple of extra seconds to sprinkle the brown sugar ON the bacon. The bacon fat will help the brown sugar caramelize on the pineapple and it will be extra delicious.
The Sauce Is Boss
While these skewers are absolutely delicious with the brown sugar, pepper, and chili powder, I enjoy making a maple Dijon glaze to take these skewers to the next level.
This sauce is very easy to make as you will see from the recipe card. I like to brush this sauce on at the end of baking.
You can also use the remainder with the skewers as a dipping sauce. I recommend using Real Maple Syrup.
It[‘s even better if you use Real Wisconsin Maple Syrup. As you may or may not know, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers and often do cooking demos with them.
If you love maple syrup like I do, you may want to make my other maple syrup recipes. I pulled a list together for you below.
- Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin
- Maple Bacon Smash Burgers
- Maple Cinnamon Margaritas
- Maple Glazed Pork Shoulder
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple and Kielbasa Skewers Recipe
If a savory sweet appetizer is what you are looking for, you have found it. These Bacon Wrapped Pineapple and Kielbasa Skewers bake up caramelized with brown sugar, a little bit of garlic salt, and some chili powder. A buttery, maple mustard glaze finishes these off. An appetizer everyone will love.
Ingredients
- 1 package of Smoked Kielbasa (14 ounce)
- 1 lb. of Thick Cut Bacon
- 2 cans of Pineapple Chunks or approximately 30 pineapple chunks
- 2 tablespoons of Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon of Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- Pinch of Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup of Maple Syrup
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
- 1 tablespoon of Butter
Instructions
- You will need to use longer/thicker toothpicks. I have linked some in the post that I recommend.
- Remove your smoked kielbasa from the package and slice into rounds. I make mine about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Set aside.
- Remove your bacon from the package and slice into thirds.
- Drain your pineapple and pat slightly dry.
- Wrap each pineapple in a strip of bacon and place a smoked kielbasa round on top of the bacon wrapped pineapple, then secure with the skewer/toothpick. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the pineapple is wrapped in bacon and skewered with a piece of kielbasa.
- In a bowl, add the brown sugar, chili powder, garlic salt, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over each skewer and try to press the mixture into the bacon.
- Heat the oven to 375° and place the skewers in and bake for 35 minutes. Bake time will vary with the thickness of the bacon, so keep an eye out the first time you bake these.
- While they bake, in a small saucepan combine the maple syrup, Dijon mustard and butter. Bring to a simmer and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- At the 25 minute mark, brush the maple syrup glaze on the skewers and continue to bake the rest of the time. Keep an eye, and remove when the bacon is crispy and the glaze is caramelized.
- Serve immediately with a side of mustard.