Here’s How Pineapple Could Ruin Your Easter Ham

Several years ago, I asked a local executive chef to come onto the morning show to talk about the dangers of using fresh pineapple on your Christmas ham. While not exactly dangerous to your person, using fresh pineapple while baking your ham puts you at risk of completely ruining your meal.

According to Mary Towers, the Executive Chef at the Bay Club in Mattapoisett, it is all "basic food chemistry." Apparently, pineapple is loaded with an enzyme called bromelain. If placed on the ham during the baking process, the ham will turn to a clay-like mush.

"Pineapple belongs on ham," says Towers, "but you have to cook it first or used canned. If you use fresh pineapple it will turn the meat to play dough mush. Bromelain cooks out of the fruit during the canning or cooking process."

While a useful tip to avoid ruining the Christmas ham, I thought the tip might actually be best shared during the Easter holiday, when ham seems to be the meat of choice.

What to do if you enjoy a little pineapple on your ham? You have a couple of options. Towers suggests either grilling the fresh pineapple separately, then placing it on the ham after it comes out of the oven, or choose canned pineapple instead of fresh pineapple.

Towers said it makes her furious when she sees grocery stores displaying fresh pineapples next to the hams.

"I just picture all of those disappointed families eager to dig into a delicious ham and finding a gross mush, instead," she said.

She was so dedicated to getting the word out that she put together this video to demonstrate just how wrong it can go when you bake fresh pineapple on ham. You will be shocked at how much it destroys the meat.

Watch and share this video so that others don't make the same mistake.