Cherry season is upon us, and I’m preparing myself for near-daily harvests from my one small but highly prolific tart (aka pie) cherry tree. I plucked a record-breaking 53 pounds from that tree last year, freezing pounds at time and canning jam, grilling sauce and salsa. I wouldn’t mind a smaller harvest this year, but I still hope for several pounds of cherries to smoke.
I started smoking pie cherries to garnish cocktails, where they give off layers of smoky, sweet and tart flavors, especially when stored in bourbon, a recipe I’ll share in next week’s column. I also freeze smoked cherries for an unexpected hint of the summer grill in sourdough hand pies, Sour Cream and Cherry Scones and other baked goods.
Every smoking setup I recommend for Home-Smoked Chili Peppers works well for cherries. When I was using charcoal and wood chips, I initially aimed for a similar 165°F temperature, but I now prefer cold smoking with a smoke tube, whose pellets generating minimal heat. Unlike cheese, the juicy fruit can handle a warmer temperature but stays plumper and brighter when cold smoked. Cherries only need about an hour to fully absorb the flavor.
Stems fade and soften with smoking and in storage, so first I destem and pit even the cherries I plan for cocktails. You can leave the stems and pits attached if you prefer that look.
I primarily smoke small tart cherries, and a pound of whole fruit usually yields about 2 cups pitted and smoked. Large, meaty sweet cherries might fill closer to 3 cups. I fit 1 to 2 pounds of cleaned cherries at a time on a grill tray or copper mat inside my kettle grill. Stackable perforated trays or multiple mats on a larger grill smoke more fruit per session.
Ripe cherries are deliciously juicy and become more so if pitted and heated, so expect some mess unless you strategically place a drip tray beneath the smoking fruit. Draining just-pitted cherries helps. I mix the collected juice into a shrub, cocktail or smoothie.
Smoked Cherries
Makes 2-3 cups
1 pound tart or sweet cherries
Remove the cherry stems and pits, if desired. Pour the fruit into a strainer set over a bowl to drain off excess juices.
Prepare your smoking setup like you would for smoking peppers. If using a charcoal or gas grill, get the pellets in a smoke tube or hardwood chips smoldering with as little heat as possible. Position a drip tray beneath the cooking grate.
Spread the cherries in one layer on a grill tray or copper grill mat set on the cooking grate. Cover the grill with its lid, adjusting the vent as needed to produce a thin smoke curl.
Check after 10 minutes and close the vent slightly if the temperature rises above 175°F. Smoke the cherries for another 50 minutes. If using hardwood chips, add more as needed to maintain steady smoke out the lid vent.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger. Learn more about this month’s cocktail and sushi workshops at TwiceAsTasty.com.