Recipe · Direct · Easy
Kamado-Grilled Apricots with Honey and Rosemary
Peak-summer apricots, halved and seared over live fire until caramelised, glazed with warm rosemary honey and served with mascarpone or vanilla ice cream. The easiest stone-fruit dessert off the kamado.
Season:Summer
Quick answer
Kamado-grilled apricots are cooked over direct heat with the grate at 220-230°C. Halve and pit them, sear cut-side down for 2-3 minutes until caramelised, then 1-2 minutes on the skin. Glaze with warm rosemary honey and serve with mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.
One big step at a time, screen kept on and built-in timers.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Temperature
- 230 °C
What time do you want to eat?
Pick a time and we'll tell you when to start.
13:05
Start the prep
13:20
Light the kamado
13:40
Onto the kamado
14:00
Serve
Estimate: it includes lighting and settling the kamado plus a margin for large cuts. If the recipe asks you to marinate or salt ahead, add that time.
Fire setupDirect heat
- Dome
- 230 °C
- Deflector
- No
- Grate
- Standard height
- Bottom vent
- Half open
- Top vent
- Half open
- Fuel
- Holm oak lump charcoal
- Setup
- 20 cm cast-iron skillet for the honey
Temperature curve
0:35 h from lighting
Kamado dome
| # | From | Phase | Dome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:00 | Light the charcoal | 20 → 230 °C |
| 2 | 0:20 | StabiliseWarm the honey with rosemary in the skillet, no boil | 230 °C |
| 3 | 0:25 | SearCut side down, leave alone | 230 → 200 °C |
| 4 | 0:28 | Cook | 200 → 225 °C |
| 5 | 0:30 | Rest | 225 → 100 °C |
| 6 | 0:35 | Serve | off |
0:00 is the moment you light the charcoal. Internal temperatures are the ones the recipe gives; without a probe, go by the times. Turn these times into clock times with the planner
For this recipe
Ingredients
- ripe but firm apricots8
- orange-blossom honey (or mild wildflower honey)3 tbsp
- sprigs of fresh rosemary2
- melted butter20 g
- cold mascarpone (or vanilla ice cream)250 g
- toasted flaked almonds30 g
- lemon (zest only)1
- flaky sea salt1 pinch
Allergens
- Milk
- Tree nuts
If served with vanilla ice cream instead of mascarpone, it may contain egg: check the label.
Based on the recipe's ingredients. Always check the label of every product you buy.
The gear for this recipe
Big Green Egg LargeThe Big Green Egg Large's ceramic holds a steady 220-230°C direct heat with no swings — exactly the window where apricot sugars caramelise without scorching. Its wide grate sears all 16 halves from this recipe in one batch, and the thermal mass keeps the temperature from crashing when you lift the lid to flip the fruit.
Orework Spanish Holm Oak Charcoal 15 kg
Lodge Square Cast Iron Griddle 11" (28 cm)
Petromax FP20 Cast Iron Skillet 20 cm with HandleThis 20 cm cast-iron skillet with a handle is the perfect vessel for warming the honey with rosemary and lemon zest right on the grate: the iron spreads heat gently and avoids the hot spot that would boil and embitter the honey. The long handle lets you slide it from the centre to the cooler edge to keep it runny while you sear the apricots, without burning yourself.
Method
- 01
Stabilise the kamado
Set the kamado up for direct cooking, no deflector, and let the grate settle around 220-230°C with the vents half open. Clean the grate and wipe it with a lightly oiled paper towel so the fruit won't stick.
- 02
Prep the fruit
Halve the apricots along their natural seam, twist the halves apart and remove the pits. Brush the cut faces with a little melted butter: it helps the sugars caramelise and gives you clean grill marks.
- 03
Infuse the honey
Put the honey, a sprig of rosemary and the lemon zest in a small cast-iron skillet on the grate. Warm for 3-4 minutes, stirring, without letting it boil, until it turns runny and fragrant. Slide it to the cooler edge to keep it warm.
- 04
Sear cut-side down
Place the apricots cut-side down directly over the coals and don't touch them for 2-3 minutes, until golden grill lines appear and the surface is caramelised. Moving them too early tears the crust that's forming.
- 05
Flip and glaze
Flip them and grill 1-2 minutes on the skin side, just to heat them through without collapsing. Brush or spoon over the warm rosemary honey and add a pinch of flaky salt on each half.
- 06
Plate up
Serve the apricots while still warm over a spoonful of cold mascarpone or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle the remaining honey, scatter the toasted almonds and garnish with the rosemary sprig if you like. Eat right away for the full hot-cold contrast.
About this recipe
Apricots are summer's most forgiving stone fruit for live fire: their acidity stands up to heat and their sugars caramelise in minutes. Halved, pitted and seared cut-side down on the kamado, they go from fruit bowl to restaurant dessert with almost no effort.
Ripeness matters more than variety.
Look for fruit that is ripe but firm — it should give slightly when pressed without feeling soft. An underripe apricot won't caramelise and stays sour; an overripe one collapses on the grate. The variety matters far less than getting the ripeness right.
Uninterrupted contact and a honey that never boils.
The key is a steady grate at 220-230°C and leaving the fruit still: the cut face needs uninterrupted contact to brown. Meanwhile a small cast-iron skillet of honey and a sprig of rosemary warms beside it, just until the resin perfumes the honey without it coming to a boil.
Serve the apricots while still warm over a spoonful of cold mascarpone or a scoop of vanilla ice cream: the hot-cold contrast, plus flaky salt over the honey, is what lifts a simple dessert into something memorable. Toasted flaked almonds add the final crunch.
In 30 seconds
Halve the apricots, run the kamado direct at 220-230°C, sear cut-side down 2-3 min and 1-2 min on the skin. Glaze with warm rosemary honey, a pinch of flaky salt, and serve with mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.
Will it fit your kamado?
Small
33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax
Tight
The 16 halves plus the 20 cm skillet are tight; warm the honey first or grill in two batches.
Medium
46-51 cm · Classic, Large
Fits
All 16 halves and the skillet fit at once.
Large
56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL
Fits
Room to spare; the amount of fruit can be doubled.
What to serve with it
Sides
- Cold mascarpone or vanilla ice cream
- Crisp almond biscuits
- Wine
- Well-chilled Moscatel de Valencia or Moscatel de Alicante
- Beer
- Fruity wheat beer or apricot sour
- Alcohol-free
- Iced rosemary and lemon tea with a touch of honey
Leftovers and storage
- In the fridge
- The fruit, airtight, 3-4 days in the fridge; once served with mascarpone, 2-3 days.
- Freezing
- Fruit only, 2-3 months; it softens, ideal for compote. Mascarpone does not freeze well.
- Reheating
- Warm the fruit 1-2 minutes in a pan with a little of the honey; serve the mascarpone cold.
- Using them up
- Blend with yogurt for a smoothie, or spoon over toast with ricotta for breakfast.
Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.
Leftover embers
You still have embers: what to do with the leftover heat
For 10 min at 230 °C in a classic kamado you load about 800 g of charcoal and burn 300 g: when you serve, about 520 g of live embers remain. Before you shut the vents, that is still enough for:
Without touching the vents
230 °Cgrilled vegetables
55 minof embers
- Rum-glazed grilled pineapple on the kamado14 min · 220 °C
- Charcoal-Roasted Baba Ganoush on the Kamado, with Tahini and Pita45 min · 260 °C
- Garlic Butter Naan on the Kamado18 min · 260 °C
No recipe needed
- Strips of courgette and aubergine, char-marked (5 min)
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (3 min each)
- Halved tomatoes, cut side down, for a sauce (10 min)
Closing the vents halfway and waiting for it to drop
140-200 °Cdessert while you eat
1 h 35 minof embers
- Cherry clafoutis in a cast-iron skillet on the kamado35 min · 180 °C
- Smoked Loaded Nachos on the Kamado12 min · 185 °C
- Reina Pepiada Arepas on a Budare in the Kamado, Crisp Outside1 h · 200 °C
No recipe needed
- Yesterday's bread with oil and garlic, on the grate (10 min)
- Corn cobs in their husks (30 min)
- Whole apples with a slit in the skin (45 min)
Opening the vents fully
over 270 °Cfull heat, direct
20 minof embers
- Iberian pork tenderloin grilled with Pedro Ximénez glaze8 min · 280 °C
- Red prawns over live fire on the kamado in 6 minutes6 min · 280 °C
- Sesame-Crusted Seared Bluefin Tuna on the Kamado (Tataki)4 min · 280 °C
No recipe needed
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (2 min each)
- Whole peppers until the skin blackens, for peeling (8 min)
- Pineapple or peach slices, char-marked (3 min)
Before opening the lid, crack it open for a few seconds first; if you raise the heat, stir the ash so the coals can breathe. And if you are not going to use them: once the food is out, close the bottom and top vents. The charcoal that does not burn (about 520 g) can be used next time. Different size of kamado? Work out your load for 30 min of fire, lighting included.
Editor's tips
- Buy apricots that are ripe but firm. If they give too much when pressed, sear them for just 1 minute per side or they'll turn to jam on the grate.
- Don't fidget with them as they sear: one well-browned face beats constant flipping. A hot cast-iron griddle caramelises evenly and stops small halves slipping between the bars.
- Warm the honey, don't boil it. Past about 65-70°C the rosemary turns bitter and the honey crystallises as it cools; keep the skillet on the cooler edge of the kamado.
Gear for this recipe
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Big Green Egg Large
The Big Green Egg Large's ceramic holds a steady 220-230°C direct heat with no swings — exactly the window where apricot sugars caramelise without scorching. Its wide grate sears all 16 halves from this recipe in one batch, and the thermal mass keeps the temperature from crashing when you lift the lid to flip the fruit.
€2,099
Orework Spanish Holm Oak Charcoal 15 kg
€45
Lodge Square Cast Iron Griddle 11" (28 cm)
€51
Petromax FP20 Cast Iron Skillet 20 cm with Handle
This 20 cm cast-iron skillet with a handle is the perfect vessel for warming the honey with rosemary and lemon zest right on the grate: the iron spreads heat gently and avoids the hot spot that would boil and embitter the honey. The long handle lets you slide it from the centre to the cooler edge to keep it runny while you sear the apricots, without burning yourself.
€184
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FAQ
What temperature do you grill apricots at on a kamado?
Over direct heat with the grate at 220-230°C. Cut-side down for 2-3 minutes until caramelised, then 1-2 minutes on the skin side. About 5-6 minutes in total.
How do I stop apricots from falling apart on the grill?
Pick ripe-but-firm fruit, don't overcook it, and use a cast-iron griddle for extra security. Very ripe apricots grill better over indirect heat.
Mascarpone or vanilla ice cream?
Both work. Mascarpone is creamier and less sweet and lets the honey shine; vanilla ice cream gives the classic hot-cold contrast. Greek yoghurt works too.
Which honey works best with rosemary and apricot?
A mild honey such as orange-blossom or wildflower. Very strong honeys (chestnut, heather) bury the rosemary aroma and the fruit's acidity.
Can I use other stone fruit?
Yes. Peaches, nectarines, plums or flat peaches all work with the same method; adjust the time to their size and ripeness.
What do I do with the embers left after making Kamado-Grilled Apricots with Honey and Rosemary?
After 10 min at 230 °C in a classic kamado about 520 g of live embers remain: 55 min more at 230 °C without touching the vents, 1 h 35 min at 140-200 °C closing the vents or 20 min at over 270 °C opening the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.
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- Recommended kamado
Big Green Egg Large
The Big Green Egg Large's ceramic holds a steady 220-230°C direct heat with no swings — exactly the window where apricot sugars caramelise without scorching. Its wide grate sears all 16 halves from this recipe in one batch, and the thermal mass keeps the temperature from crashing when you lift the lid to flip the fruit.
- Editorial guide
How to light a kamado: the step-by-step method
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- Glossary term
Heat deflector
Ceramic plate placed between the coals and the grate to turn direct fire into indirect cooking.
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