There is nothing better than sitting out back with friends, enjoying some great BBQ food. But how can you make your BBQ stand out? Today, we're going to look at overlooked foods to grill you can use to bring new life to your backyard grill sessions, even when everybody has had their fill of your tasty grilled meats, seafood, and veggies. It's time to start thinking about grilling fruit for dessert.
Grilling fruit is a great way to bring new life to BBQ desserts. When fruit is grilled, it becomes tender and juicy with a smoky char that adds an extra punch of flavor. Grilled pineapple tastes like caramelized sugar on the outside, while remaining soft and sweet on the inside. The natural sugars in these fruits come out when heated, making them perfect for dessert or adding some variety to your next barbecue! Let's look at this a little deeper.
The science bit! What happens when you grill fruit?
Fruit is made up of carbohydrates, fiber and water. When fruit is heated at a high temperature like those on your grill, the sugars respond differently than how they would in boiling or steaming. The fibers break down which causes them to become more tender and juicy as the liquid from inside the fruit (which contains water, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients) heats up more slowly than the surface. That being said, the amount of fiber in the fruit will affect how long it needs to be cooked.
Fruit that is high in water content gets tender much faster when heated than something like an apple which has a lot more fiber. This means you should pay attention when grilling different types of fruit.
The main takeaway from all this though, is that the fruits will take on smoky flavors that will mingle with more intense sweetness and tasty caramelization.
Great fruits you should grill for dessert
Let's have a look at some of the best fruits you should throw on the grill to cook up for some uniquely delicious BBQ desserts.
Pineapple
Pineapple is one of the best fruits to grill for dessert because it's naturally sweet and tender. It also has a ton of fiber which will give your fruit some great texture when you bite into it! You can simply slice it up into wedges and then think about basting in in a rum and brown sugar sauce and then serving with vanilla ice cream!
Plums
Plums are a stone fruit which means they have pits inside. If you're grilling them for dessert, make sure to cut them in half and remove the pit. Then, grill them face down until they get nice char marks in the flesh and dust with cinnamon and maybe honey, once they're ready. This will also work great with other pitted fruits like apricots, nectarines and peaches.
Again, these are great with ice cream.
Bananas
Next on the list are bananas because their natural sugars caramelize when heated at high temperatures which make them perfect for dessert. For these, we recommend cutting the bananas into thick slices and then coming up with some basting sauces that will give them a sweet flavor like honey or brown sugar mixed with ginger!
Bananas are also great for the kids. You simply slice them open a little and then squeeze in some chocolate chips before putting them onto the grill. After a while the chocolate will melt and the banana flesh will be all sweet and gooey.
Apples
How about grilling some apples? There are so many different varieties of apple out there that will taste great when grilled. Grilled dessert apples pair brilliantly with cinnamon, can be eaten alone or, for a real treat, served with ice cream. They'll also go really well with other fruits like blueberries during the summer!
From savory to sweet: Something to consider
The only thing you need to remember if you're going to grill some fruit for dessert is that you'll have to clean your grill once you've cooked all your meat, seafood and veggies. This will mean taking time away from your guests and then making your guests wait as you scrub away at your grill's grates. This is where Grillbot comes in. You could simply set Grillbot to run a 30 minute cleaning cycle on your grill while you sit down with guests and enjoy the fruits of your grilling labor (no pun intended). Then, once everybody has finished eating and is ready for something sweet, Grillbot will have everything clean and ready to go for you to begin grilling up sweet treats instantly.
Grillbot – Give the gift of time, energy, and convenience
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