Do you ever feel like you just can’t wait for summer, so you can enjoy fresh stone fruit like plums, nectarines, cherries, peaches, mangoes and more?
Many of us often enjoy barbecue sausages, steaks, briskets, chicken breasts, burgers, etc., but have you ever tried grilled stone fruit?
Grilling stone fruit on a BBQ is extremely easy. All you need to do is to cut the fruit in half and then gently remove the inside stone. Or, you can even cut them into big wedges; just make sure the pieces aren’t too small or else they’ll fall apart while grilling. Grease the cooking grates with neutral oil and grill the fruit for about 3-4 minutes, each side. Serve it as per your liking.
In this post, we are going to look at exactly why and how to grill stone fruit on a BBQ. Stone fruit taste absolutely delicious when they’re grilled.
Table of Contents
6 Easy steps to Grill Stone Fruit
Now let’s look at the step-by-step instructions to grill stone fruit on a BBQ:
1. Clean the Grill
If you have not used the BBQ grill for a long time, always start by cleaning the grates. That is because cooking grates or racks are most likely to catch greases, oils and debris. If not cleaned properly, the accumulated grease might affect the taste of your grilled stone fruit.
2. Grease the grilling rack
Next thing you need to do is grease the cooking grates with a little oil. It should be enough to grease the grates, so the fruit won’t stick to it.
Make sure you do not use too much of oil, otherwise the stone fruit is going to taste heavy and oily. Moreover, using too much oil might also cause flare-ups if its drips onto the coals.
3. Use Canola or Vegetable oils
Oil used for grilling stone fruit need to have a neutral taste. It shouldn’t have a sweet or tangy flavor to it.
When the grill gets all heated up, there are high chances of olive oil giving out an odd rancid taste. So, better skip this one!
Rather opt for oils that have a neutral taste and do not get affected by high temperature, such as canola, vegetable or even grape seed oils. You can simply grease the racks by applying some oil on a clean kitchen towel and lightly brushing it upon grill.
4. Cut the Stone Fruit
To prevent the fruit from falling off the gap between grates, it is better to cut it in half or into large wedges.
When you slice it in half, remove the stone or pit inside and then rub your favorite flavors onto it. Once the grill is heated to optimal temperature, place the fruit onto it with its flat side facing down. This way you will see those nice, smoky grilled lines on the fruit.
The pieces should not be too small or else they will get all mashed up and feel more like a jam when grilled.
Stone fruit like mangoes should be cut into fat slices.
5. Smoke the fruit
Allow the fruit’s each side to rest on the cooking grate for about 3 to 4 minutes. This will give it a nice caramelized layer on top with charred, smoky lines.
Once grilled, you can sprinkle brown sugar and honey on the fruit to give them an ultra-sweet texture. Eat it as a dessert, or you can serve it with grilled meat, grain salad, green salad, yoghurt, and so on.
Not just that, you can even dice them up or make a puree and add it to cocktail, salsa or BBQ sauce.
The most popular way to indulge in stone fruits is by serving them with dollop whipped cream right in the center.
Since berries are tender and small, it is better to not grill them.
When the fruit starts to breakdown, the inside water evaporates and the sugars in it begin to concentrate and caramelize with a nice layer of crust. Even then, the fruit retains all of its natural flavors, just like when it’s raw. Once grilled, you will see a sticky, warm and sweet fruit that tastes more like a full-flavored dessert, rather than a fruit! The grilling process will add a nice jazz of crispiness to the fruit.
6. Serve
Grilled stone fruit goes way beyond being a dessert.
Here are different ways to serve your grilled stone fruit:
- To garnish your drinks
Cut a fat round slice of your favorite stone fruit, grill it until it flaunts those amazing charred lines and use it to garnish your cocktail drinks. That will be a true game changer!
The sugars in the fruit get caramelized and provide an intense sweet flavor.
- Serve it as a Side
Good food is all about well-balanced flavors- it should strike a perfect balance between acidity, sweetness, fattiness, saltiness and bitterness.
Grilled stone fruit is a great means of adding that much-needed sweet flavor to your dish.
A nectarine is one such stone fruit that will take any salad to next level when grilled and served with vinaigrette dressing. Grilled peaches also greatly compliment green beans.
For best flavor, do NOT sprinkle any sweetener (sugar/honey) onto the stone fruit before you grill it. The grilling process will naturally scorch the sugars inside and intensify that amazing, natural sweetness. Choose slightly unripe fruits to prevent them from getting mushy on the grill.
For salads, pick fruits like apricots, nectarines and plums. Whereas, you can grill sugary fruits like bananas and pineapples while making desserts.
- Dessert
Grilled fruit served with a scoop of whipped cream in the middle is a heavenly combo for summers!
Rub your favorite stone fruit with honey and brown sugar, and then grill it until it’s nice and caramelized with golden crust on top. Make sure you monitor the flame, so there are no flare-ups or burning.
Likewise, you can serve grilled fruit with a sweetened Greek yogurt sauce as well.
- Topping
Lastly, you can enjoy grilled fruit by using them as toppings on your grilled chicken or meat.
What is a Stone Fruit?
A stone fruit is any seasonal fruit that has a seed inside surrounded by a tougher outer shell called ‘stone’ or ‘pit’.
Stone fruits- also known as drupes, are fleshy, thin-skinned fruit and its examples are lychees, apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, mangoes, berries, green almonds and more.
These fruits may be sweet or bitter, smooth or frizzy and freestone or clingstone. No matter which stone fruit you choose, they’re sure to add pizzazz to your summer barbeques with their naturally delicious flavors.
Not only do they add color, but also add a touch of sweetness to any meal. You can pair them up with butter or cheese for a more enhanced flavor.
Basic Grilled Stone Fruit Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of your favorite stone fruits; can be cherries, nectarines, plums and peaches
- Cut them in halves and pit them
- Black pepper to taste
- Balsamic vinegar
- ½ stick butter
Method:
- Preheat the grill and lightly grease the cooking grates with oil to avoid the fruit from sticking
- Position the fruits on the grates with their plain side facing down. Reduce the flame to medium-high.
- Allow each side of the fruit to cook for about 3-4 minutes
- Place aluminum foil on the grill and put all the fruit pieces onto it
- Drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar and a dash of pepper as per your taste preferences. If you want to make it sweeter, you can melt balsamic vinegar and butter in a separate pot and brush this reduced sauce onto the fruit.
- Allow the fruit to get caramelized until you see golden-brown charred lines on top. Remove them on a platter and serve.
- Do NOT let it rest for too long, or else the fruits will have a burned flavor.
Grilled Stone Fruit with Greek Yogurt Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 6 oz. Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- Lemon zest as per taste
- Neutral oil
- Assorted stone fruits (halved and pitted)
- Optional- mint leaves for garnishing
Method:
- In a bowl, take non-fat Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey and mix together nicely.
- Brush the grill grates with oil or use cooking spray to grease them. Preheat the grill up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the fruits in half and remove the pits.
- Brush the open side of the fruits with a bit of olive oil
- Place the fruits on the grates with its open side facing down. Reduce the heat down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and close the grill.
- Cook each side for 3 minutes, until you see charred, smoky lines on it. Turn the fruit upside down with the help of a tong.
- After 3 minutes, remove them from the grill, serve with Greek yogurt sauce and garnish it with mint leaves.
Conclusion
With this, we wrap up our guide on grilling stone fruit on a BBQ.
The mesmeric flavors of caramelized stone fruits can really light up your summer parties and step up your BBQ game.
Serve them as summer dessert, use as a salad topping or as a garnish for your cocktail; these sweet charred fruits can add versatility to any dish.
Choose assorted stone fruits to try out different flavors, textures and color hues.
