Grilled Desserts

June 2025. Memphis summer, 66 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 41 years of marriage.

I smoked a pork shoulder this week — the king, the classic, fourteen hours over hickory. The bark was dark and the smoke ring deep and the meat fell apart in my hands with the familiar magic of something that has been loved patiently. I served it on white bread with coleslaw and vinegar sauce, the way Uncle Clyde taught me, the way I teach everyone who stands next to my smoker, because the serving is the tradition and the tradition is the point.

The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.

That pork shoulder took everything the smoker had, but a pitmaster knows the fire doesn’t die just because the main cook is done — it rests, and while it rests, it still gives. Uncle Clyde taught me that you honor a fire by using every last degree of heat it offers, and over the years I’ve learned that the coals cooling down after a long smoke are exactly right for something sweet. These grilled desserts have become the quiet ending to our biggest cooks — something Rosetta and I share on the porch when the neighborhood has gone still and the smoker is banking down, because a meal that starts with patience ought to end with something worth savoring slowly.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
2 ripe bananas, unpeeled, halved lengthwise
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch rings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon honey, for drizzling
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Fresh mint leaves, optional garnish

Instructions

Prepare the grill. Heat your grill or smoker to medium heat, around 375—400°F. If finishing after a long smoke, allow coals to settle to a steady medium heat with no open flame.
Mix the glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined into a loose paste.
Brush the fruit. Using a pastry brush, coat the cut sides of the peaches and pineapple rings generously with the brown sugar glaze. Leave the bananas in their peels and brush the exposed flesh only.
Grill the fruit. Place peaches and pineapple cut-side down on the grill grates. Lay bananas cut-side down as well. Grill for 4—5 minutes without moving, until grill marks appear and the sugar begins to caramelize.
Turn and finish. Flip all fruit carefully and grill for an additional 3—4 minutes, until the fruit is tender and lightly charred at the edges. The bananas should be soft and the peaches yielding to gentle pressure.
Rest and drizzle. Transfer fruit to a platter and drizzle immediately with honey while still warm. Allow to rest 2 minutes before serving so the juices redistribute.
Serve. Plate each portion with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint if desired. Serve warm, straight from the grill.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Desserts — When the Fire’s Still Hot, You Use It