Hi everyone! Welcome back. I’m excited to share with you a delicious smoked dessert I’ve labeled “Smoked Pumpkin Delight”. Due to the smoking process, it’s not a quick-and-easy design like our recent apple pie dessert, but I assure you, this is worth the wait.
Disclaimer: All temperatures will be in Fahrenheit.
The prep
Concerning pumpkins, we don’t want anything too large. Generally, most of the good baking pumpkins will be less than 9 or 10 pounds. However, there are some that are still nice and sweet, but range in the 21 lb+ mark. There are many different types of pumpkins, so let’s keep the directions simple.
Acquire “sugar pumpkins” of 9-10 lbs or less. How many is up to you and depends ultimately on how many you can fit into your smoker. Once you’ve decided on the quantity, take them home, and wash them. Next, cut them in half. Now, let’s talk about our ingredients.
- Cinnamon powder (or fresh cinnamon you’d like to grate)
- Sea salt
- Butter (salted)
- 4 oz. of a coffee of your choice
- Natural, raw honey
- Pure cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- Walnuts (though your favorite nut will likely work)
- Cake batter ice cream.
First, slice cross hatches into the pumpkin flesh. Next, sprinkle the buttered Pumpkin flesh with cinnamon powder as you desire. We want the aromatic properties of the cinnamon to penetrate the flesh, so a good dusting is suggested. Next, sprinkle roughly a teaspoon of sea salt on the exposed pumpkin flesh per pumpkin half.
Finally, place 1/3 stick of butter into a microwave safe bowl and add 2 tablespoons of honey into the same bowl. Place in your microwave on a medium heat and heat in 5 second increments until the butter has melted and the honey is thin. Mix well with a spoon. At this point, we will use this bowl to cover both halves of the pumpkin. We want a light coating of the mixture, so be sure you have enough for both halves.
Repeat this process for each Pumpkin you choose to smoke.
Let's cook!
And now, we smoke. The smoking process can last anywhere from 1 hour and 40 minutes to 2 hours and 20 minutes. It depends on the temperature you choose for your smoke. I usually choose a temperature of 235 and a smoke time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until the pumpkin flesh is visibly mushed and the exterior of the pumpkins have begun to sufficiently wilt. This is your ballpark and should result in a well-cooked pumpkin.
While the pumpkins are smoking, use the seeds that you scooped out and place them onto a cookie sheet and ready them for toasting in the oven. Since we are making the pumpkins sweet via the honey, I suggest a different direction with the seeds.
Let’s coat them in unsweetened cocoa powder. Once you’ve applied the toppings to both sides, toast the seeds at 160 degrees for 25 minutes or until they are crispy. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Next, place them in a food processor and grind the seeds until they are coarse, just before you reach a fine chop. Save the seeds for toppings.
Once the pumpkins have finished smoking, they will be relatively soft, so I suggest using a spatula to pull the smoked pumpkins onto a tray on which they can rest and cool. Allow the pumpkins to cool to an internal temperature of 150-160 degrees and scoop the insides out of the rind and into a mixing bowl.
Add the walnuts and 4 oz of coffee per pumpkin to the bowl. Now, mix the flesh together well so that the toppings can be seen and tasted throughout the mixture. A side note: Some, including myself like a stronger coffee flavor, so I use a bold coffee flavor. Now it’s time to plate.
Put the pumpkin mixture into a serving bowl, hollowed out pumpkin or gourd, and place one scoop of cake batter ice cream onto the mixture per 6 oz. of pumpkin (roughly). Finally, sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on top of the ice cream and pumpkin mixture, and dive in! You’re now enjoying Smoked Pumpkin Delight.
Final thoughts
Some of these directions are merely suggestions and you are welcome to vary things as your taste buds desire. Give it a shot as is, and then vary it from there. I hope you enjoy this dish and I look forward to seeing you again in the next article. As always, my goal is to inspire, inform, and illuminate. Have a great day!
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