Our Pineapple Habanero Glaze earned its reputation on wings — our festival testers called it the best wing sauce they'd ever had, and we're not going to argue with them. But that tropical-sweet, habanero-hot combination is far too good to keep locked to one dish. It leads with bright pineapple, then the habanero rolls in with real heat and a little smoke on the back end. That balance makes it a surprisingly versatile bottle once you start experimenting.
Here are five of our favorite ways to use it beyond the wing platter.
1. Grilled pineapple
This one's almost too obvious, but most people never try it. Brush fresh pineapple rings with the glaze and throw them on a hot grill for a couple of minutes per side until they caramelize and char. Serve them as a side with pork, dice them over tacos, or eat them straight off the plate. Sweet fruit plus a little habanero heat is a combination you'll be making all summer.
2. Sweet-heat meatballs
The easiest party appetizer there is. Warm the glaze in a pan, toss in cooked meatballs (homemade or frozen, no judgment), and stir until everything's coated and glossy. Set out a bowl with toothpicks and watch them disappear. The tropical sweetness makes them crowd-friendly; the habanero keeps the grown-ups coming back.
3. Glazed shrimp or salmon
Seafood and pineapple were made for each other. Brush the glaze onto shrimp skewers or a salmon fillet in the last few minutes of cooking, just long enough to set into a sticky finish without burning. The heat cuts through the richness of salmon beautifully, and glazed shrimp on the grill is a five-minute showstopper.
4. Pulled pork upgrade
Already making pulled pork? Stir a few spoonfuls of Pineapple Habanero into the finished meat before you pile it on the bun. It adds a tropical brightness and a slow build of heat that takes ordinary pulled pork somewhere a lot more interesting. Top with a little slaw and you've got a sandwich people will ask about.
5. Pizza drizzle
Hear us out. A ham-and-jalapeño pizza finished with a light drizzle of Pineapple Habanero after it comes out of the oven is the spicy-Hawaiian upgrade you didn't know you needed. It works on flatbreads and quesadillas too — anywhere you want a hit of sweet heat right at the end.
One quick tip
Because this is a Competition Series glaze, it's built with the sugar that gives you that glossy, sticky finish — which also means it can scorch if you put it on too early over high heat. Brush it on in the last few minutes of cooking, or warm it and add it after. Two thin coats always beat one thick one.
Ready to put it to work? Shop Pineapple Habanero Glaze and the rest of our Competition Series →
Tropical. Smoky. Seriously hot. Flavor born in the Panhandle.