Smoking is a way to cook and add flavor to fruit without destroying its nutritional value. Grilling, a form of dry-heat cooking, helps preserve vitamin C; aromatic wood chips add flavor without additional calories. When smoking fruit, select wood chips with an eye toward flavoring. Hardwoods with a delicate flavor such as apple, cherry or maple are more appropriate than mesquite or hickory, both of which can easily overpower the flavor of fruit, the Ochef website warns. While the choice is always yours, "meaty" fruits such as apples, cherries or tomatoes are generally better for smoking than juicy, moisture-laden fruits.
Step 1
Pour water, apple juice, beer or a combination of these liquids in a large bucket or bowl.
Step 2
Add the wood chips and let them soak in the liquid for 30 to 60 minutes.
Step 3
Transfer the wet wood chips to a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap the foil around the wood chips using secure, double folds.
Step 4
Poke pencil-size holes about 1/2 inch apart in the top of the foil pouch so smoke can escape as the wood chips heat.
Step 5
Set the aluminum-foil pouch underneath the grill grate.
Step 6
Heat your grill until the wood chips start to smoke.
Step 7
Arrange the fruit in a single layer in a disposable aluminum-foil pan.
Step 8
Set the pan on the grill grate and close the grill cover. Smoke firm fruits such as apples for 15 to 20 minutes and smaller or more moist fruits such as cherries or tomatoes for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 9
Turn the fruit with tongs and continue smoking until the fruit is fork-tender, about 10 additional minutes.
Tips and Warnings
- To prepare fruit for smoking, rinse it in a colander under cold running water, then pat it dry with paper towels. Core and cut apples into quarters, leave cherries whole and slice tomatoes in half.
Things You'll Need
- 4 cups soaking liquid --- water, apple juice or beer
- Bucket or bowl
- 2 cups hardwood chips
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Pencil
- Aluminum foil pan with 2-inch sides
- Tongs
References
- Ochef: The Best Woods for Grilling
- Ochef: Grilling Fruit
- "Weber's Real Grilling;" Jamie Purviance; 2005
