I used canned pineapple chunks, boiled them for almost 2 hours; they never really got translucent though.

I boiled them in a spaghetti pot, using 4 cups water, 2 cups sugar (regular; not super-fine) as you did. I was surprised; the chunks float, and I could’ve put several more cans of chunks in the pot. I stirred it occasionally.

I drained them in a colander (saving the sugar-water for the next batch!) and dried them in a dehydrator.

After 1 day I put them in a plastic storage container with some super-fine sugar and shook it to coat the chunks with sugar. I kept half (“batch 1″) and put half back into the dehydrator for another 24 hours (“batch 2″).

Both batches tasted great; not quite as chewy as the Trader Joe’s version, and a bit crunchier (I think it’s the sugar granules crunching, rather than the pineapple). Batch 1 was stickier than batch 2 – I prefer batch 2.

Taste-tested on family and friends to great fanfare and applause.

Now I’ve gotta get massive quantities of canned pineapple chunks…