Pig on a Stick

• servings: 8 skewers

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1 1/4 cups apple juice

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 8 wedges each

1/2 pound cherry tomatoes (about 24 tomatoes)

8 (10-inch) wooden skewers

Directions

Combine the pineapple juice, oil, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice in a small pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Stir in the apple juice and 1 1/4 cups of water.

Place the pork and apples in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or in a large dish. Pour the juice mixture over them, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes. While soaking, prepare a charcoal grill to medium-high heat (350°F to 400°F) with teh rack 4 inches from the coals.

Remove the pork and apples from the marinade with a slotted spoon. Reserve the marinade in the pan.

Thread the skewers with an apple wedge, a piece of pork, and a cherry tomato, and repeat 3 times for each skewer.

Place the skewers back in the marinade as you complete them.

Arrange the skewers on the grill in a single layer, making sure there is space between them.

Grill about 10 minutes, turning twice, until an instant-read meat thermometer reaches 145°F when inserted into a piece of pork.

Notes

Dolly says: "Every year during hog-killin' season, we'd begin digging the big ditch that would eventually become the pit for our annual pig roast. It was a long, drawn-out process that Daddy loved. But I realize most of us don't have the time it takes to tend to a big ole roasting pig, so I've figured out how to eat pig from a stick in a more conveinent way--in chunks with apples and tiny tomatoes."